Daycare
by Adolis
Summary: What would happen if Tifa ran a daycare and the children were other Final Fantasy characters? This is my research into the mystery.
1. Month 1

Tifa's Daycare: Day 1- Month 1

* * *

Tidus' mother came in early on the first day holding her squealing son by the hands and swinging him from side to side. Tifa was a bit unnerved by this. "I don't think you should do that…"

"Oh, it's fine," his mother assured, swinging her son clumsily into a more secure spot on her hip, "I've only dropped him once or twice and he bounced right back up."

"Tifaaa!" Tidus yelled, wriggling until his mother put him down before rushing over. He held up his hands and beamed, "Uppie, Teefie!" he commanded. Unable to resist his charm, Tifa picked the boy up. He was the only one here at the moment, after all, what harm would it do?

"So, when should I expect you back?" Tifa asked, bouncing the 2-year-old on her hip.

"Oh, I dunno. Maybe sometime this afternoon? I have lots of things I need to take care of. Thank you, Tifa!" Tidus' mom finished signing her boy in before leaving. Tifa sighed. This is why teenagers should never have kids.

Tifa played with Tidus for a half hour before her next drop offs came.

Mrs. Harvey's unmistakable voice rang across the parking lot, "NOW, GOLBEYEZ, YOU MAKE SURE TO PLAY NICE WITH THE OTHER KIDS. NO MOAH OF THIS BULLYIN' BUSINESS. CECIL, YOU MAKE SURE TO LET MS. TIFA KNOW IF YOU START TO FEEL FUNNY. I'M LEAVING HOIER WITH MY PHONE NUMBUH SO YOU BOYS CAN CALL ME IF YOU NEED ANYTHING."

Tifa walked up to the front, "Hello, Mrs. Harvey. How are you all doing today?" she asked. Tidus had stayed in a separate room playing with toys.

Mrs. Hardy patted her fluffy red hair and straightened out her "dress" (it was really a nice shirt, but the woman was so tiny it reached her knees without issue), "WELL, BAYBEE-CECIL IS ON A NEW MEDICINE. IT KEEPS HIS NOSE FROM RUNNING, BUT HE HASN'T TAKEN IT YET, TODAY. I HAVE THE TIMES HE NEEDS TO TAKE IT AT AND THE DOSAGE AMOUNT WRITTEN ON THE SIDE OF THE BOTTLE FOR YOU. I'M SORRY FOR THE BOTHUH, HONEY. AND I'VE TOLD YOU OVUH AND OVUH TO JUST CALL ME GWENNYTH, TIFA. WE'RE ALL ADULTS HEYUH."

Cecil sniffed and rubbed his nose shyly.

Tifa laughed, "Of course, Mrs. Harvey, the medicine's no problem, but I'd feel odd calling you by your first name. It's just the way I was raised," Tifa shrugged. She accepted the medicine and peered at the side.

Mrs. Harvey gasped and looked at her watch, "OI, VEY. I GOTTA GO! I'M GONNA BE LATE TO THE BEAUTY PARLAH!" she gave Golbez a sloppy wet kiss, leaving a big lipstick mark on his cheek. Golbez angrily started wiping at the lipstick. Mrs. Harvey reached up and pulled Cecil into a quick kiss on the mouth before pointing a finger up at her older son, "I SEE YOU TRYING TO WIPE OFF MY LOVE, GOLBEYEZ. THAT'S WHY YOU ONLY GET KISSES ON THE CHEEK. YOU'LL MISS IT WHEN YOU'RE OLDAH. BAYBEE-CECIL HAS ALWAYS BEEN MORE WELCOMING OF MAMA'S LOVE. ISN'T THAT RIGHT, SWEETIE-PIE?"

Cecil grinned and laughed, his mother's plum lipstick spreading across his mouth and cheeks.

"Hmph," Golbez scowled and finished wiping off his mother's lipstick.

Things went smoothly for the next couple of hours. Terra, Locke, Kimahri, and Claire arrived, Claire with her little sister Serah's (who hadn't been there before) hand clasped firmly in her own. She made absolutely sure that Tifa knew every detail about her little sister's peanut allergy. "You have to make sure that Serah doesn't eat pea-nuts. Because the last time that she ate pea-nuts, her throat got rea-lly big and we had to go to the doc-tor. She al-so can't eat any-thing that has pea-nuts in it."

"Alright, Claire," Tifa nodded to the 5-year-old, "I'll make sure that Serah doesn't eat anything with peanuts in it. Thank you for taking such good care of your sister." Tifa jotted down Serah's allergy in her medical needs book underneath Cecil's paragraph. That poor boy had more things wrong with him…

A new girl named Garnet was one of the sweetest little things Tifa had ever seen, and she instantly fell in love with the small, horned, tea party-loving girl.

A bit later, a woman came in carrying a two-year-old on her hip. "I'm here to drop off Rinoa Carraway," the woman said, putting the dark-haired girl down. Rinoa pouted and jumped next to the woman, demanding to be picked up again. She was in a tiara and Queen Elsa costume, and Tifa could sense a troublemaker.

Within the next two hours, several kids arrived. Among them were Firion, Light, a cute new boy named Bartz, new kids Irvine, Vivi, and Yuna, Beatrix, Steiner, Seifer, and Quistis.

"Mamaaaa!" a familiar voice squealed from the front room. Tifa erupted into a smile and went up to meet her newcomer.

"Hey, Zell!" she greeted, "How are you today, Carla?"

"I'm doing wonderfully, Tifa," Mrs. Dincht smiled.

Zell reached his hands out, "Aah! Ah!"

"Remember to use your words, Zell," his mother reminded him.

"AAAHH!" the boy squealed.

"Can you say 'Hello'?" Tifa asked.

"Hi!"

Both mother and caretaker laughed, "Very good!" Mrs. Dincht bounced her son before passing the 2-year-old over to Tifa. "Bye, Tifa! I'll be back at the usual time!"

"Of course!" Tifa hugged the young boy close to her and waved his hand, "Say 'See you later, Mommy'."

"Bye, Ma!" Zell flapped his arms and bid his mother farewell.

In the next hour, only one person who had registered to drop their child off wasn't there yet, but little Squall Loire and his mother were in the daycare shortly. Mrs. Loire walked in carrying her son on her hip. As soon as the boy saw Tifa, he buried his face into his mother's shoulder and pulled his light blue blanket close to his face.

"You're Mrs. Strife?" Raine Loire asked.

"Yes, ma'am." Tifa extended her hand and Mrs. Loire shook it, "And this must be Squall. Such a nice name."

Mrs. Loire smiled proudly, "Oh, thank you. He's a complete darling once he gets to know you, but I have to let you know that he's not very good with strangers, I'm sorry."

Tifa shrugged, "Oh, that's no problem. Some kids just take longer to get comfortable than others. I'll do my best to make sure he isn't overwhelmed."

"Thank you very much," Mrs. Loire lifted her son's face off of her shoulder and looked him in the eye, "You're going to go with Mrs. Strife today, Squall, so make sure you're on your best behavior. I'll be back later, alright, sweetie?" she gave him a kiss and passed him to Tifa. Squall started whining before his mother had even finished the trade-off. Once Tifa had him, the boy pushed against her, wanting to be put back in his mother's arms. Mrs. Loire shot an apologetic look at Tifa, who shrugged understandingly, before turning and leaving the daycare.

Squall started crying. Loudly.

Tifa waited until Mrs. Loire was out of the parking lot before putting Squall down, who ran over to the heavy glass door and squatted down on the floor and cried harder when he couldn't open it. Tifa went over and picked him up. The outraged boy smacked Tifa's face, and she grabbed his hand and spoke sternly, "No, sir. We do not hit here," she warned.

Squall continued to wail and fought against Tifa's hold. She ignored it and kept Squall on her person while she walked around making sure everyone was happy and playing. As she passed by Seifer, he laughed and pointed at the wailing child in Tifa's arms. "Ha! Big baby chicken-wuss! Big baby chicken-wuss!" he chanted.

Tifa rose an eyebrow at the almost 4-year-old. "Oh, please, Seifer. Don't you remember your first day here? I know I do."

Seifer paused mid-laugh and scowled, "You just didn't have the toys I wanted."

"Oh, really? I distinctly remember you screaming for your mommy and wreaking havoc around the entire school while I chased you."

Seifer shifted his feet guiltily, "Sorry, Ms. Tifa…"

"It's all right, but you need to be nicer to others or they won't have a reason to be nice to you, okay, honey?" Tifa patted the boy's head. He smiled and ran off to play somewhere.

Tifa continued making her rounds until her stomach lurched. She raced to the bathroom (leaving Squall outside. Luckily he squatted down and continued crying) and threw up into the toilet. Ugh, morning sickness. She'd forgotten to eat her snack in all of the hubbub. She heaved a few times and, when her body made it obvious that this would take a while, she called Aerith.

"Hello?" the flower girl asked.

"Aerith, can you come watch-" Tifa retched into the toilet, "I'm so sorry…"

"Oh no! You have morning sickness again?! I'll be right over. Zack, I'm going to see Tifa!" Aerith brought the phone back to her mouth after hollering at Zack, "I'll bring something for you to eat, alright?"

"Thank you…"

There was a knock at Tifa's door. "Ms. Tifa? Are you okay?" a small voice asked from outside.

"I'm fine, sweetie," Tifa huffed. Terra was so sensitive, of course she would be the one to notice Tifa's misery, "Can you let every-…everyone know that Ms. Aerith is coming?"

Tifa heard Terra gasp, "Okay!" before her small feet ran from the door.

A tiny pat was made on the door and Tifa heard Squall whimper.

"I'm sorry, honey, you can't come in…"

By the time that Aerith arrived, news had spread like wildfire that Tifa was sick. Several of the kids came and checked on her. The older kids asked if there was anything they could do to help. Some of the older siblings understood why Tifa was sick and quieted fears that she would die. Squall never left the door. When Aerith came in, the kids who knew her rushed over calling out that Ms. Aerith the story lady was here. Aerith walked over to the bathroom. Tifa knew this because Squall screamed and pushed furiously at the wooden barrier.

"Oh my," Aerith stepped around Squall and opened the bathroom door. The tiny boy darted in and tried to close the door on Aerith. When he realized that he was not strong enough to keep Aerith out, he went and hid behind Tifa, who was crouched on the floor sweating and hovering over the toilet. She flushed and waited for the next wave of nausea.

Aerith's brow furrowed in worry and sympathy, "Aww, Tifa!" she rushed over and handed her a bottle of water, "I put some herbs in this that help stop nausea. It's really bitter, though, so I put strawberry flavoring in it to try and cover it up. Do you want me to get the little boy out of here?"

Tifa shook her head and accepted the water bottle, "He'll just start screaming again. Can you call Cloud? Don't tell him I'm sick, though."

Aerith laughed and rolled her eyes, "No kidding. Yeah, I'll call him," she made sure Tifa was sipping at the medicine, then left to call Cloud.

While waiting for Cloud to arrive, Aerith told stories from the planet to keep the kids entertained, and by the time Mr. Strife arrived, Tifa was up and running again.

A group of kids who had all arrived at the same time, Petunia, Eliha, and Cobalt, ran up to Tifa. Petunia was in the middle, holding each one of her friend's hands in one of her own. On her back was a dragon backpack, and sticking out of the top was a dragon toy. Petunia looked up at Tifa expectantly. "Do you like dragons?" she asked.

"Well, yeah. Dragons are cool," Tifa answered.

"You're my friend," the girl said with a big smile.

"I thought WE were your friends!" Eliha cried.

Cobalt let go of Petunia's hand and patted Eliha on the shoulder. Petunia immediately grabbed Cobalt's hand back.

The front door opened and Cloud walked in, "I'm here, Tifa. Is everything alright?"

Eliha gasped and blushed deeply. She made a short squeal and yanked on Petunia's arm.

"Ow! What, Panda?" Petunia yelped. Eliha, er, Panda, started whispering excitedly in her friend's ear. Tifa swore she heard the girl squeal "He's so cute!" but for some reason, she didn't feel incredibly threatened by the 4-year-old. Cloud walked over to Tifa and gave her a kiss, and Eliha made a tiny disappointed sound before turning back to Petunia and whispering more. They whispered together a bit and then Petunia shouted out, "Like I love Cobie!" before tackling said boy with a hug. Cobalt blushed and smiled.

Eliha was mortified, "Xephiiiieee! Not so loud!"

Tifa rolled her eyes. Then she realized that Squall was nowhere in sight. She spun around looking for the tiny boy before spotting him outside playing in the sandbox. He had his blanket in his lap, and Tifa noticed for the first time the small lion embroidered in the corner. Aww, that boy was so cute.

There was a tug at Tifa's pant leg. She looked down to see Tidus holding both arms in the air, and laughed and picked up the toddler. He yawned and snuggled into Tifa's T-shirt clad chest. Tifa sighed. She should have known. "Alright everybody!" she called, "Lunchtime! Get your lunch boxes! Everyone who's new, follow the other kids into the eating room!"

The kids in Tifa's care immediately rushed toward their cubbies and to the fridge where their cold food was kept and ran to the lunch room. After lunch, it would be converted into the craft room, with several options of things to make. Tifa went outside to get the rest of her kids after putting Tidus down so he could eat. "Guys!" she called a second time, "Lunchtime! Hey! Snow! You know better than to play rough!" she hollered as she ran over to the tall 6-year-old and got him off of the shorter chubby boy.

Snow stuck out his tongue and Tifa grabbed and pinched it with her nails, resulting in a wail. "AOHW! Leggo o' my thunge!" the boy yelped.

"You don't treat Ms. Tifa like that!" an outraged Adelbert cried.

Tifa let go, "Now apologize to me and Adelbert."

Snow moved his tongue around in his mouth, "Thorry, Tifa," he looked at the other boy and made a face, "Sorry Adelbert."

Tifa nudged Snow toward the building, "Go on and eat your lunch. You too, Adelbert."

The youngest Steiner boy nodded eagerly and rushed inside. Tifa had had his two older brothers some time ago, but they were in 6th and 7th grade now. Tifa shook her head. Weird.

The last few kids zipped past Tifa and ran inside to get their lunches. She couldn't help but smile as Wakka and Zidane ran past, racing each other to the door. She turned to the sandbox and walked over to the only kid not getting their lunch.

"Squall, you hungry? It's time for lunch."

Squall got up silently and walked inside. A moment later Light ran outside, "Ms. Tifaaa! Locke and Zidane are taking from the other kids!" the beautiful white haired, blue eyed boy informed, "Cloud and Aerith don't know what to do, so they told me to come and get you."

Tifa sighed. Could those two never learn? She trotted inside and barked at the two boys, "Locke Cole! Zidane Tribal! Come here."

The two boys froze. Tifa glanced over at Cloud and Aerith, who both shrugged hopelessly. God, Cloud had better learn how to deal with kids before the baby arrived.

Tifa knelt down to the guilty boys' level, and the entire room went silent. Watching. Tifa could feel Vaan watching carefully, as if remembering what the punishment was for stealing.

"How many times have I told you boys not to take from others?"

Locke shifted his feet.

Zidane mumbled, "A lot…"

"Right. Now give back what you took and come see me in the hallway. Cloud, Aerith, can you keep an eye on everyone while I'm out?"

"Of course!" Aerith chirped, "But I really should get back to work after you're done."

"Alright," Tifa nodded before going out into the hallway as the chatter began to rise in the lunch room once more. A moment later, Zidane and Locke wandered out into the hall.

"Do you two have lunches today?"

Zidane pointed inside the lunchroom silently. Locke shook his head.

"Does the lunch belong to you, Zidane?"

Zidane paused, then shook his head.

"I've told you two so often to just ask if you need food. I'm sure your friends wouldn't mind sharing, and I always have some extra with me if anyone needs it, okay?" she said softly.

The boys nodded silently. Zidane lifted his head, "So, even if someone has a whole bunch of extra food, we're not allowed to take any? Because Steiner always has a whole bunch of food with him."

"No, Zidane, you can't take Adelbert's food without permission. Come on. I have some things to make sandwiches in my office."

The boys smiled and chased after Tifa to the promise of peanut butter and jelly.

After lunch, the kids spread back out and Aerith went back to her work. Tidus wandered over to Tifa again and held his hands above his head, "Up!" he demanded. Tifa sighed, tossed the last of her ham and cheese sandwich into her mouth, and took the boy into her arms. Tidus snuggled down onto Tifa and yawned. Adjusting Tidus' weight, Tifa wandered around with Cloud gathering the under-fours for naptime. Most went willingly. Bartz, Terra (she was four, but still needed naps, sweet heart), Zell, Quistis, Selphie, Yuna, Kimhari, Vivi, and Serah went to the nap room and piled into the beds available and onto mats if they wanted. Tifa knew that she would return to find them all playing, but they were all at least in the same room. She put Tidus down in a bed, but he woke and started crying until Tifa picked him back up. Cloud and Tifa left to get the last few children who needed naps. Seifer was drawing with chalk outside. He yawned and rubbed his eyes and continued, pushing Auron away when the 7-year-old got too close to his masterpiece.

"Hey!" Auron barked angrily at the toddler before ignoring the behavior and leaving.

Squall wandered close by and watched Seifer draw. Seifer stuck a tongue out at the other boy, "What do you want, big baby?"

Across the yard, that Rinoa girl from earlier sat down and started wailing. Cloud trotted over to the girl and tried to pick her up, but she flopped onto her back and pushed against him, yelling all the while, "No! No!"

Squall looked over at Rinoa's fit. Seifer took that moment to snatch Squall's blanket and throw it in the chalk box. Squall yelled in outrage and attacked Seifer.

"Squall! Seifer!" Tifa yelled as she ran over.

A few of the other kids stopped ignoring the screaming babies and watched as Tifa and Auron (Cloud was still wrestling with Rinoa) wrenched the fighting boys apart. Squall threw one final kick at Seifer and missed before he (and Seifer) started crying. Squall reached for his chalky blanket and Auron carefully set the toddler down. Seifer fought against Tifa and woke Tidus, who started crying.

"Ugh. I hate naptime," Tifa groaned as she carried her two crying boys in. "Auron, could you bring Squall in, please?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am," Auron took Squall's hand, cautious of another temper tantrum, and led the whimpering, hiccupping child inside.

Behind her, Tifa heard a surprised "Ow!" from Cloud.

She turned back to see that Cloud had the still screaming, squirming Rinoa tucked under his arm. He was shaking his other hand out, "She bit me!" he exclaimed over the girl's screams. He took Rinoa and took her under the armpits and held her half an arm's length, careful to keep her mouth away from him, "What do I do with her?" he looked to Tifa for help.

"Tell her not to bite. And make sure to be firm, but not mean." Tifa adjusted her boys and went through the door Auron was holding, "Thank you, Auron."

Cloud's brow furrowed and he looked at the thrashing toddler in his hands. He didn't think she would hear "firm but not mean" very well.

Eventually, Cloud and Tifa had gotten all but Rinoa to go potty and go to sleep. So Queen Elsa was going to be the one who caused issues at naptime…

The tiny tyrant had nearly lost her tiara in the fight against the sand man, her hair was disheveled, Cloud and Tifa were about to stick her in time out instead of a nap, and she was taking far too much of the pair's attention. Tifa put her hand over Rinoa's mouth and looked at Cloud. "I need volunteers."

"I wouldn't do that," Cloud warned as Rinoa bit Tifa's hand.

"Ow! _Rinoa_. We do _not_ bite."

When Rinoa kept screaming, Tifa pinched the girl's bicep. You know. One of those Mom grabs that hurts, but doesn't leave a mark. Rinoa yelped and looked at Tifa, not believing that someone would actually hurt her.

"We do _not_. Bite each other, Rinoa. Understand?" Tifa didn't let go of the sore spot.

Rinoa's lip quivered. She nodded.

"Now. I know you want to play, but you'll have a lot more fun if you're not tired, do you understand?" Tifa started calmly.

Rinoa nodded again, her puffy, red, sleepy eyes watering.

"Your parents made sure to send you your favorite things to sleep with so that you would be comfortable. Doesn't that sound nice?"

Rinoa paused, then nodded her head, "Yeah," she said hoarsely.

"They even sent your favorite toys. Now let's go take a nap, okay? You'll feel a lot better afterward."

Rinoa pouted, but followed Cloud and Tifa to the nap room and climbed into her saved spot with all of her things. She was asleep the instant she hugged her Olaf and Sven dolls close to her and laid her head down on her Ice Castle pillow. Tifa put Rinoa's Frozen themed blanket around the girl, checked to make sure everyone else was sleeping, then made a quick escape with Cloud.

"Oh my god." Cloud leaned against the wall and slid down to sit on the floor.

Tifa grunted in agreement and sat next to her husband.

Cloud looked over at Tifa, "Do you think our kid will do that?"

"Only once."

Cloud sighed and leaned his head against the wall.

"…You scared?" Tifa asked.

"Terrified."

"Well, you shouldn't be."

Cloud raised an eyebrow. Tifa got to her feet and helped him up. She gave him a kiss, "We'll raise our baby not to be a terror, after all. But in the meantime, I need at least 4 or 5 people to help me on a day-to-day basis." There was a tug at Tifa's pant-leg. She looked down at little Cecil Harvey, "Yes, sweetie?"

"It's thime to take my medicine, Ms. Thifa. Gowbez towd me to thell you," the boy sniffed loudly and wiped his nose on his sleeve.

"Alright, come on, Cecil. Cloud, you go keep an eye on the kids outside."

Cloud nodded and went outside while Tifa went up front and got Cecil's handful of medicines from the Harvey's little box. She gave the appropriate amount of his current medicines and some tissues to Cecil, then grabbed a bite to eat and sent the effeminate boy back to play. Tifa heard squeals outside and when she looked, Cloud was being used as a jungle gym. She laughed and watched Cloud play with the children for a moment. Hanging off of one arm was Vaan, a cute enough boy, but he had always had trouble with following rules. More than once Tifa had caught him stealing food and other items with Locke and Zidane. Firion and tiny Luneth were respectively sitting on Cloud's foot and hanging off of his other arm, and Wakka had somehow shimmied up Cloud's back and came to rest on the SOLDIER's shoulders. From nearby, Tifa saw Eliha smiling at Cloud like a fool in love before Petunia and Cobalt dragged her away to play. Tifa made her way down the hall, munching on her cantaloupe, and checked in the rooms for the kids she hadn't seen outside. Lulu was in the playroom building a house for her stuffed moogle toy and for the daycare's dolls. Tifa walked in and sat next to the 5-year-old. The pretty girl turned her violet eyes on Tifa. "What?"

"I was just seeing what you were up to."

Lulu smiled shyly and looked down at the toys in her arrangement. "You got new dolls."

Tifa nodded, "Do you like them?"

"Yeah…" she picked at the lace on the sleeve of her shirt.

"Do you want me to find if someone wants to play with you?"

Lulu shook her head, "The others are too loud. They distract me, and then my magic doesn't work right."

"You remember what I said about using magic inside?"

"Only feel it run through my body. Don't use it inside or around the other children, because magic can be dangerous."

Tifa smiled and patted the dark head next to her, "Very good. Thank you, Lulu. Claire seems like a quiet person if you ever want someone to play with."

Lulu nodded and returned her attention to her arranged dolls.

Tifa got up and left to go check on said pink-haired child, who was in her usual spot in the lunch/craft room surrounded by books. Tifa looked in and remembered the scolding she had gotten the last time she had interrupted the intelligent (if somewhat short-tempered) girl when she was reading before moving on and going outside. Some of the kids here were too smart for their own good.

Outside, Tifa noticed Golbez wearing the daycare's sparring pads and challenging several of the other boys to wrestling matches, and that Beatrix seemed to be the most eager to accept the challenges not extended to her. She chased Golbez around, brown ringlets flying and delicate face set in a scowl, demanding that Golbez let her play with him and the other boys. Golbez fervently denied her access, saying that wrestling was just for boys.

Beatrix stuck out her tongue, "You're just mad because I beat you last time!"

"You did not!" the big, white-haired boy growled.

"Then let me play with you again!" she ordered.

Tifa called over to the sparring ring, "Golbez, let Beatrix play with you and the others."

Golbez opened his mouth to argue, but closed it and gave a sullen "Yes, ma'am."

Beatrix beamed and ran to put sparring gear on. "Thank you, Ms. Tifa!"

Tifa sat on a bench near the door and watched the kids at play while she ate more of her cantaloupe. She groaned when she saw Zidane in a tree. Again. He apparently hadn't outgrown the interest from years prior. She put the lid on her container and set it down on the bench.

"Zidane!" she called wearily as she walked over.

The boy made a face and hung by his tail just out of Tifa's low reach. She scowled and pointed at the ground.

"Aw, c'mon, Ms. Tifa, you know I won't fall," the boy said with a charming, lopsided smile.

"Down now."

The smile vanished and Zidane loosened his grip on the tree branch to drop when Adelbert trotted over, "Ms. Tifa's told you over and over not to climb in the trees, you stupid monkey," he said with a superior Ms. Tifa-likes-me-better-because-I-follow-the-rules chuckle.

"Shut up, Chubby!" Zidane sneered before jumping up higher into the tree.

Stony-faced, Tifa turned an angered Adelbert around and marched him away, telling him how he was going to apologize to Zidane when she eventually got him out of the tree. After a few minutes of trying to coax the golden monkey out of the tree, Cloud had to be called, and the Ex-SOLDIER basically yanked the kid down by a foot into a pair of waiting arms.

"My hero." Zidane grinned at Cloud. He gave the older man a hug and hopped to the ground. Cloud raised an eyebrow. He felt his earlobes and found his earrings gone, then held a hand out to Zidane, who gave him a high-five.

"My earrings, Zidane."

"What earrings?" the boy held his hands behind his head before turning and running straight into Tifa's legs. She looked down at the thieving child, hands on hips and a disappointed look on her face. Zidane's mischievous demeanor wilted and he gave the earrings to his caretaker guiltily.

"Now what do you say to Cloud?"

Zidane glanced up at Cloud, tail wrapped around his ankle and the very image of a sad puppy. "Next time you won't feel me touch your ears." He laughed playfully and ran off. Cloud rolled his eyes and got his wolf earrings back from Tifa and put them in.

"Impressive, Tifa," Cloud huffed.

"I try," she said with a smile. She took Cloud's hand and went to sit on the bench. She pulled her bowl of cantaloupe back into her lap and continued eating. Cloud nabbed a piece and took a bite of the melon slice.

Tifa laughed, "You know what they say about taking a pregnant lady's food?"

Cloud smiled, one cheek full of melon, "What?"

"You have to give her twice as much as you took, or it's 9 months bad luck."

Cloud took two more cantaloupe slices from the bowl and handed them to Tifa. She rolled her eyes and held out the bowl for Cloud to put them back in.

Claire came out of the building with a scowl on her face, "One of the ba-bies is crying, Ms. Ti-fa. I keep on lo-sing my fo-cus and I can't read."

"Thank you for letting me know, Claire. Cloud, could you keep an eye on everyone out here?"

The blond glanced out at the playground full of kids and nodded slowly, "Hurry back."

Tifa sighed and stood up, "You had better not be this afraid of your own kid."

Cloud shook his head, "I won't."

"Ms. Ti-fa…" Claire tugged at Tifa's wrist and Tifa followed the pink haired girl inside.

Once in the nap room, Tifa groaned, "Tidus…"

The boy was crying and shaking the bars to the crib he and Zell were in. Zell was curled up snug as a bug, but several other kids were on the verge of waking. Tifa rushed over, picked up the 2-year-old, and left the room. She shut the door and looked in through the window to make sure everyone else was still sleeping. Those who had been disturbed calmed and fell back asleep, much to Tifa's relief.

Tidus wrapped his chunky arms around Tifa and hiccupped into her shoulder. She patted the boy's back and went outside with a blanket to put over Tidus' head to keep it dark. She sat back down next to Cloud and sighed.

Cloud peered over at her, "What's wrong?"

"I just know I'm going to melt. Tidus likes to sleep on people –specifically me– and I want him to fall asleep, so I put a blanket over him as you can see. And it's warm out here and pregnant ladies get hot easily. So don't complain if I have to go inside. Jeez, I'm barely along and I'm suffering from every pregnancy pain there is…"

Tifa saw Cloud's guard go up. She laughed mentally. He looked like he was ready to be attacked, "Just don't blame me. It takes two people to make a baby," Cloud reminded.

"Oh, shut up. I know that, goof," Tifa smiled and shoved him in the shoulder.

* * *

The next few hours passed without much incident, although Tifa had indeed needed to go inside. By the time the little kids and Terra were all woken up, parents were starting to arrive to get their children. The first to be picked up was Wakka (much to Tifa's delight. A boy as cheerful as Wakka doesn't belong in an orphanage), then Adelbert, Rinoa, and Garnet.

At around 4, Squall's mother arrived to pick him up. Tifa smiled and left to get the boy. At this time, Squall was entranced by the daycare's action figures, particularly one of a roaring lion. Tifa walked in and smiled at the small boy, "Squall, your mom's here to pick you up."

Squall immediately dropped the toy, grabbed his blanket, and bolted from the room. "MAMA! I'VE BEEN TWAMATIZED!"

Tifa blanched. What? She rushed after Squall to explain to his worried looking mother whatever Squall had meant.

The toddler held onto his mother's skirt and pointed at Tifa, "The wady began vomiting and anotho wady came and scawed me, and a man came with weyod haiya…he's scawy, Mama!" the boy sobbed.

Mrs. Loire blinked and looked at Tifa.

Tifa was beet red, "I'm so sorry. I'm not sick, I promise. I'm pregnant and I had to call my husband and my friend when I got morning sickness. I'm terribly sorry if there's a misunderstanding…"

Mrs. Loire's expression cleared immediately, "Oh, that's no problem. Do you feel better now? I'm afraid Squall can exaggerate things sometimes. I should have known that this was one of those cases."

Tifa waved her hand, relieved to clear her name. That was some of the trouble working with kids. You have no idea how they're really reacting to things or what they focus on. "I'm fine now. I just forgot to eat my midmorning snack. It won't happen again, and I'm going to be getting volunteers and possibly hiring help, so we won't have this problem anymore."

"Okay, good. I'm glad things worked out for today. So is that everything?"

"Yup, I've signed Squall out, so you're good to go, Mrs. Loire. Bye, bye, Squall."

Squall pointedly ignored Tifa and held tightly to his mother's skirt until Mrs. Loire picked him up.

* * *

Tifa was playing with a group of toddlers when Zell jumped up and squealed, "Ma's back!" He toddled to the front room as fast as his little legs could go, "Mama!" he called back to Tifa, "Ma's here to get me!"

Tifa laughed, "I know, I heard!" she got up and followed Zell to the front room with her entourage of children behind her. "Hey, Carla. Zell was very good today as usual."

"Good, Zell! Come here and give me a hug, sweetie. I missed you!" Mrs. Dincht dropped to her knees and held her boy close and gave him a kiss. Zell leaned into his mom and smiled happily.

Tifa finished signing Zell out on her computer and walked over, "Give me a hug before you go?"

Zell let go of his mother and held up his arms for Tifa to pick him up. She did and he gave her a big hug around her neck, "Bye, Mama!"

Tifa smiled and passed Zell back to his mother, "Bye, Carla, see you tomorrow!"

"Bye, Tifa!"

* * *

Tifa kept a mental count as the children were being picked up and she was staggered. By the time _thirty_ kids had been picked up, Locke, Zidane, Vaan, Luneth, and Tidus were the only ones left.

Tifa and Cloud had been playing with the last of the children when Edea rushed in and caught her breath, "I'm so sorry I'm late! You boys weren't too bored, right? Did you have fun with everyone?"

Locke, Zidane, Luneth, and Vaan rushed over to their main caretaker and smiled up at her. Zidane put his hands behind his head and rocked from side to side, "We had lots of fun!"

"And you didn't take anything?" Edea asked.

"We gave it back," Locke assured.

Luneth nodded, "I made sure they did."

Vaan nodded, "Ms. Tifa has the same rules as you, Matron."

Edea laughed softly and patted the boys on the head, "That's good. You need to listen to Ms. Tifa just as much as you listen to me."

Tifa walked over to Edea, Tidus clinging to a leg, "They were very well behaved today, other than a couple incidents. Do you have trouble getting food for them at all, Edea?"

The raven-haired woman frowned sadly, "Well, I do what I can, but funding has been a bit low lately," she knelt down to her boys with a smile, "But I was able to get lots of food today, so we can have a really good dinner, alright?"

"Edea?" Tifa started.

"Hm?"

"I always have some extra food here if you really need help, alright? Just come talk to me if you ever need anything. I got them all PB&amp;J for lunch today."

Edea smiled gratefully, "That's so sweet of you, Tifa. Thank you so much. Boys, did you say 'Thank you'?"

"Yup," Locke said with a grin.

Luneth huffed, "Of course. That's what you tell us to do, isn't it?"

Zidane nodded and Vaan assured with an "Uh-huh."

"Good. Well, let's get back home. Come on, boys, the others are waiting," Edea started towards the door.

"Coming, Matron!" her boys called and ran after her.

Zidane paused at the door and turned back to Tifa. Tifa raised an eyebrow until Zidane walked up to her and held out a fist guiltily. Tifa held out her palm with a frown and Zidane dropped Cloud's earrings into her hand.

Cloud's jaw dropped and he felt his ears.

"Zidane, why do you do this?" Tifa sighed.

"I've already told you a bunch of times…" Zidane muttered.

Tifa knelt down, "I know you say that you want to use the money you steal for the orphanage, but stealing is wrong. You'll get in big trouble for it if you get caught, and if you keep it up as an adult, you could go to jail. No one wants to see that happen to you, okay sweetie?"

Zidane fiddled with his tail, "Yeah…"

"Don't keep Ms. Edea waiting." Tifa turned Zidane around and patted his back.

Zidane glanced over his shoulder at Cloud, "Sorry, Ms. Tifa's husband," before running out the door and joining the rest of his group.

Tifa shook her head and picked up Tidus and walked over to Cloud. She placed his earrings in his hand and he put them in. The pair stood silent for a moment.

Cloud looked over at Tifa, "When the hell did he take my earrings?"

"Cloud, language. And I don't know."

"I wanna play more." Tidus wiggled until Tifa put him down and he ran to the toy room. Cloud and Tifa followed at a leisurely pace.

"…Really, though." Cloud nudged his ear lobe, as if making sure the wolf earring was still there.

Tifa laughed, "That was a good trick he pulled, whatever it was. He should be a magician when he grows up, he's so good at making things disappear."

Time passed and neither Tidus' mother nor father arrived to take their boy home. After an hour had passed and the daycare had officially closed a half hour ago, Tifa called Tidus' mother. The phone rang several times before it was answered.

"Hello?" a groggy voice answered.

"It's 6:30, Mrs. Zuzela. Tidus needs to be picked up."

"It's what? Oh, shit, I'm so sorry. I'll be there right away. Tell Tidus I'm coming, alright?"

A gruff voice rumbled in the background, "Where ya goin'?"

Mrs. Zuzela's voice carried over from away from the phone, "I'm going to get Tidus. It's 6:30."

"Huh."

"You wanna come with me?"

Tifa held the phone away from her and rolled her eyes. When you're on the phone with someone, focus on the phone call, please.

Mr. Zuzela's voice continued, "I've been out since early this morning practicing. I gotta get rest or I won't be on top of my game tomorrow."

Tifa had never seen this father of Tidus'. Jecht seemed entirely too focused on whatever sport he played.

"Alright…well, I'll be back in a bit, Jecht."

"Mmhm."

"Are you sure you don't want to come?"

Tifa hung up the phone. She could predict this lasting a bit longer, so she sat with Cloud and Tidus and played with lego blocks for a bit.

In about 20 minutes, Tidus' mother finally arrived.

"Mama's here!" Tidus jumped up from his and Tifa's fort-building and ran out to the front room, "Mommy, Mommy!" he leaned up against her legs and raised his arms, asking to be picked up. The girl picked up her son and balanced him on a hip while Tifa came and signed Tidus out.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't realize what time it was, Tifa."

"Don't worry about it. Would you like me to call you at 5:30 tomorrow?"

"No, no, I got it. Thank you, though. Come on, Tidus, let's go home and see Daddy!"

Tidus ignored his mother's comment and snuggled closer to her as she walked out the door.

Cloud leaned off of the counter and walked over behind Tifa. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her neck, "Finally. I have no idea how you're going to do this again tomorrow. I can help some, but I have deliveries in the morning."

"That's why we're going to put out ads for volunteers. I might also hire some new hands. I have twelve new kids this year, and lots of them are itty-bitty. Let's go home? I'm starving."

Cloud smiled, "Yeah. Want me to make something?"

Tifa laughed, "This oughta be interesting."

* * *

Hello! Thank you for reading! I'm thinking that this will have 9 or 10 installments for obvious reasons :) let me know what you think, pretty please!

Yes, Lightning's real name is Claire. *sigh* I was very disappointed with Squeenix when I found out :( also, I apologize if I spoiled that for anyone.

Also, Petunia, Eliha, and Cobalt are characters that me and a friend of mine made when we got mad at Final Fantasy 15 (which was originally Versus 13 for those of you unaware). They are three of the main characters in the real Final Fantasy 15 (which is totally fanmade and probably never will be published or finished). Just a fun little tidbit if you want it: Eliha is based on me (hence the pointless crush on Cloud, lol), Petunia is based on my friend, and Cobalt is based on her boyfriend.


	2. Month 2

Hello! Sorry for the wait. College is such a time suck, oh my gosh. But my intern, KRoW is here to help! She wrote this chapter and I edited it :) I really like what my friend did. The rest of this story will likely be a joint effort, so let me know what you think of KRoW's writing style

Lots of love!

* * *

Month 2

* * *

Tifa nervously sat at the check-in counter. Her new summer hires were coming in today. All she knew of the group was what she had seen on the applications, and while they were all "dependable, responsible individuals with positive attitudes," how many applicants _weren't?_

Tidus was hastily dropped off before any of the new workers came (or anyone else for that matter). As soon as his mom handed him to Tifa, the young woman rushed away while Tidus's chubby arms latched around Tifa's neck happily.

"I have to put you down," Tifa told him.

He knew not to protest. Rather, he blissfully buried his face into Tifa's plump chest. She sighed as he innocently glanced up at her with bright blue eyes.

"Okay, fine," she sighed as she sat down to look at her computer. Tidus giggled gleefully, but didn't squirm so that Tifa wouldn't set him down. He was always the first one there, so there was no point in letting him play by himself. Tifa would send the little blonde to the playroom as soon as another child came in. She opened another pouch of fruit snacks and started nibbling idly.

She opened her email to see that a new message had come in from Ms. Harvey; the boys wouldn't be coming in today due to Cecil catching the flu. Tifa rolled her eyes. It was far from flu season! Leave it to Cecil to get it.

After a few minutes of checking who needed to pay the monthly fee and of Tidus absently playing with Tifa's dark hair, a loud voice squealed, "MAMA!"

She looked up to see Mrs. Dinct entering with a bouncing Zell in her arms. "Hello!" Mrs. Dinct called as she made her way to the counter. Zell was beside himself as they approached. As soon as his Ma was close enough, Zell practically leapt across the counter into Tifa's lap. Tidus gave a jealous whine and snuggled against Tifa. Zell did so too, but in a less owning way.

A tall, red-headed man came in as Tifa and Mrs. Dinct chatted. "I'm here for the summer job. This is First Fantasy Daycare?"

"Oh!" Tifa stood up quickly and handed a disagreeable Tidus to the newcomer while she adjusted Zell on her hip. "You must be Lea!"

Mrs. Dinct looked skeptical. "Summer job?" she asked.

Tifa gave a sheepish smile. "With more kids coming in and a baby on the way I've needed some extra hands," she admitted.

Mrs. Dinct erupted into a smile, "Tifa, you're pregnant?"

Mrs. Strife smiled, "Yeah. I'm about 2 months along now," she informed while giving her belly a rub.

"Wow, 2 months? I didn't start showing until I was about 4 months."

Tifa cocked her head to the side and looked down at her belly. Now that Mrs. Dincht mentioned it, Tifa noticed the hint of a baby bump there, "I didn't realize it was noticeable yet. I'm pretty short, though. That might have something to do with it."

Mrs. Dincht laughed, "I suppose so. That would make sense. You make sure to keep me up to date, okay, Tifa?"

Tifa laughed and nodded, "Sure, Carla."

Lea cleared his throat as the smell of rotten eggs filled the air. He awkwardly held a sniveling Tidus away from him. "Uh… Ms. Strife…?"

Once Tidus had been changed into a fresh Pull-Up and told to tell Tifa when he needed to go potty, a steady stream of children began filing in. The other summer hires still hadn't shown up and Lea didn't seem to be doing too well with the kids. It seemed to Tifa that he wasn't here for the sole purpose of enlightening the minds of the young. He was likely here to do community service for college.

Tifa watched, amused, as Zidane and Wakka claimed either of Lea's arms and became like shackles while Lea was helpless to shake them off. She was about to go help him out when she felt a tiny tug on her skirt.

Looking up at her with large blue-gray eyes was Squall.

"Do you want something?" Tifa asked the toddler softly.

Squall shyly ducked his head down, still holding Tifa's skirt in one hand and clutching his blue blanket in the other.

Tifa chuckled. He was still so insecure around the other kids. She reached down to pick him up but he backed away, still not letting go of the skirt. She stood back up. "Alright, I can take a hint," she told him, at this point beginning to understand the complexities of Squall Loire. "Let's go check on Lea."

When Tifa made it over to Lea, Squall was glaring at the new redhead with distrust. Ignoring the toddler, Tifa asked her helper, "You having fun?"

He laughed nervously, lifting the arm that Wakka was on. The poppy-haired child cackled. "Ah, I'm fine," Lea lied.

"Wakka, Zidane," Tifa commanded. "Can you please go to the playground if you want to climb? Lea is not a jungle gym."

"Okay!" Wakka grinned. He hopped off Lea instantly and ran off to the corner where Lulu was playing quietly with her dolls. Tifa had the sinking feeling that Lulu may get angry with the boy and cast magic to keep him away.

When the monkey hadn't released the off-balance ginger, Tifa scowled. "Zidane…"

"Zidane," a polite voice scolded. Tifa turned to see Garnet standing on the side of Tifa opposite of Squall. She had her petite hands on her hips. "You need to get off of Mr. Lea."

"Er, ya don't have to call me mister…" Lea muttered.

"We're laaaaaate!"

The small group turned to see a pair of boys clumsily burst through the front door of the daycare. The two out-of-breath high schoolers leaned on their knees in fatigue once inside. They had very brightly colored eyes and large shoes.

"We're so sorry!" the brunette, spikey-haired boy gasped.

"This kid overslept," his silver-haired friend grumbled, gesturing to the first boy, "Sorry we're late."

Tifa was a bit angry, but glad to have more help. "It's fine, just try not to let it happen again. I'm Tifa. And this is Lea," she introduced.

"I'm Sora!" the brunette beamed, his breath back under control. "This is Riku!"

"I'm Garnet," the little horned girl said proudly. "And Zidane is invading Mr. Lea's personal space."

"No I'm not!" Zidane grinned. "He likes this!"

"Not really," Lea muttered. He was finally able to shake the kid off. Zidane set his sights on Riku's arm and tried to hop onto that.

"No," Tifa snapped as she lightly pushed Zidane into a different direction. He saw something else that looked interesting and began going that way.

Garnet ran after him. "Noooo! My tea set!"

Tifa turned to the two newcomers. "Would one of you please keep an eye on Zidane?"

* * *

By craft time, Isa and Kairi, the other summer helpers, and Aqua, Tifa's new employee, had come in. They were helping the younger kids make their crafts. It was Riku's duty to keep Luneth out of the glue and Firion from cutting off his ponytail.

When Riku was busy with Luneth's sudden desire to eat the thick, sticky paste, Firion found a ponytail that was more appealing than his. Terra's emerald green locks tied in a pink bow seemed lovely today... Tifa's eyes went wide as the scissors neared her hair.

"Firion! No!" she screamed.

The unsuspecting Terra looked up from her half-finished macaroni portrait with a confused, "Huh?"

Tifa was too far away to grab the scissors from Firion, but Auron was plenty close. He swiftly snatched the scissors from the silver-haired boy and shouted, "No!"

Firion suddenly looked very innocent and said, "What?"

"Don't cut little girls' hair!" Auron scolded. He roughly placed the scissors in Riku's hand.

Riku looked horrified. "I'm so sorry that I wasn't paying attention," he told Tifa with wide eyes.

Terra's purple eyes were as round as saucers. "My… hair?"

Seifer suddenly stood up on his chair. "Auron likes Te-rra!"

The trouble-maker's buddy, Snow, leapt up and pointed at the older boy and green-haired girl. "Auron and Terra, sittin' in a tree… K-I-S-S-I-"

"Shut up!" Auron snapped.

"HEY," Tifa called firmly. The three sat down quietly, Auron forcibly quieting his anger and the two bullies trying to hide their smiles.

"Auron said a bad word…" Zell gawked.

"Um-muh-muh-muh-muh-muh..." Bartz gasped, pointing at Auron. The 7-year-old had to suppress his anger even more carefully, his lips a thin line.

"Ooh, Auron's in trouble…" Yuna ogled.

Tifa ran a hand through her hair. "No one is in trouble," she sighed. She quickly tried to regain the former, happy mood by moving around the room and complementing the globby macaroni pictures.

* * *

Tifa bounced from group to group of children and workers to warn them that nap time was in ten minutes. Squall followed Tifa around like a shadow to each group. He would not let go of her skirt out of insecurity and he made sure to be slightly behind Tifa as she addressed each group. Tifa first stopped at the group of children that Kairi was managing made up of Serah, Rinoa, Terra and Garnet. They sat around a short table having a tea party.

Tifa knelt down by the table. Before she said anything, she glanced over at Squall. Rinoa noticed him and thought it would be a good idea to see what would happen if she poked his face. As her finger neared the boy, he flinched and gave a whimper. Rinoa pouted and turned back to the tea party with a huff.

With a stifled laugh, Tifa turned to Kairi. "So what are you up to?"

Rinoa piped up, interrupting Kairi. "We're having a tea party!"

Tifa smiled. "Well, that sounds—"

"Mr. Snufflepants just knocked over Ms. Kairi's teacup because he's jealous because she just kissed Baby Squiggles and Sir Poofybottom is trying to calm everybody down so that Madame Shine won't throw him in the dungeon, and-"

Tifa ignored the dark-haired girl. "So Kairi—"

"But then Mr. Snufflepants ate all the crumpets and Baby Squiggles is angry—" Rinoa raved, getting louder gradually. Squall made an almost inaudible moan and moved behind Tifa.

"Rinoa, you need to stop interrupting," Tifa cut off.

"But I'm not interrupting!" Rinoa bossed.

"Tifa, it's fine," Kairi told the daycare owner. "Anyway, what were you—"

"I'm not finished!" Rinoa whined.

After giving a heavy sigh, Tifa firmly told Rinoa, "It's really rude to interrupt people, Rinoa. I need to talk to Miss Kairi right now."

"But why?" Rinoa whined again.

"You are not being very polite," Garnet told Rinoa.

Rinoa gasped and scowled at the other black-haired girl, her feathers thoroughly ruffled. She opened her mouth to say something, then couldn't think of anything. Then she did think of something to say. "You can't come to the tea-party anymore," she told Garnet in a holier-than-thou way.

"But it's Garnet's tea-set," Terra whispered. Serah looked at the other girls nervously, not knowing what to say.

"Rinoa, that's not very nice," Kairi scolded lightly. Rinoa slumped in her seat after adjusting her Rapunzel crown, but said nothing. Kairi looked at Tifa. "So what did you need?"

"I came over to warn you that it's almost naptime—"

"NO!" Rinoa bolted from her seat and tried to go to the door. She was too fast for Tifa or Kairi to catch. Luckily, Riku was standing near the door and he caught her. She writhed in his grasp while Tifa smiled wryly. She loved having helping hands. After telling the other girls to start cleaning up the tea party, Tifa made her way over to Riku.

"Be careful," she warned him as he struggled to keep the slippery princess in his hold. "She will—"

Rinoa interrupted again by biting down on Riku's arm. He gave a holler, faltering his grasp for a moment, but then regained his control over the toddler.

"Rinoa!" Tifa snapped. "What have I told you about biting?"

The small girl continued rebelling. Riku was struggling harder. With his un-bitten arm, he held her around the torso and he gawked at the other, which had bite-marks. "What the heck?!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, sorry," she quickly apologized. Then she turned her attention to Rinoa. "You're going in time-out!"

Rinoa began going even more ballistic. Riku held her tighter, looking extremely fed-up with the demon-child. "Riku," Tifa asked as kindly as she could. "Would you please go take Rinoa over to the nap room? There should be a yellow chair in the corner. That's the time-out chair."

Riku forced a tired smile. "Alright, sure," he sighed. "Do you want me to stay in there until nap time?"

"Sure," she told him.

With a slowly weakening Rinoa, he stumbled over to the nap room.

After that monster was taken care of, she made her way over to a group of unattended toddlers made up of Bartz, Luneth, Zell, and Tidus. They had found the fake plastic food and were not fake-eating. Instead, they were putting the hard toys in their slobbery mouths. Squall cringed at Tifa's side at the sight.

Tifa knelt down by the boys. "No, no, no, no…" she told them hurriedly, taking a plastic hot dog away from Zell. Zell's huge blue eyes widened and he opened his mouth to start crying. Tifa immediately noticed this. "Zell, I'm not taking away your hot dog. See? It's a pretend hot dog." She tried to get the attention of the other boys. "You don't actually eat the food, you pretend eat it." The boys looked at her blankly. Zell was now distracted from crying. Tifa began to pretend "nibble" the hot dog. "Nom-nom-nom-nom-nom! Mm-mm! That was yummy!" She handed the hot dog back to Zell. "Now you try."

Zell stared at the hot dog, and then copied Tifa's actions while the others looked on. "Num-num-num-num-num…" he "chomped." He looked at Tifa for approval.

Tifa gave a small clap. "Very good, Zell!" she praised. Then she looked at all the others. "It's almost nap time, so start putting away the toys. But once nap time is over, you all can practice eating."

"Okay!" Luneth beamed. He was the first to start cleaning up. The other boys followed in suit.

Tifa noticed that Squall reached for a plastic pizza and began "nibbling" at it. Then he looked at Tifa hopefully. She smiled down at him. "Yeah! You've got the hang of it!" she cheered.

A shadow of a smile started to creep onto Squall's face, but then it quickly disappeared as he put the pizza back in the food-box.

Soon enough, the toddlers were all in beds and cribs and taking naps. It took a while to get Rinoa down, though, seeing as Tifa and Riku had to perfectly arrange her stuffed Pascal and Maximus and castle pillow perfectly before she would even consider taking a nap.

However, after that was done, Tifa could finally sit down and have her snack. So far this day, her morning sickness hadn't hit, but she was feeling a bit hungry. She opened up her package of fruit gummies as she watched the older kids run around the playground. From her bench under the large tree that stood by the swing set, she could see all the kids clearly. Wakka and Zidane were chasing Beatrix around the playground, until she swiftly turned around. She must've realized that she was being chased by wimps. When the two boys saw that she had whirled around, they back-pedalled and swerved around as she began chasing them.

Tifa smiled and took a swig of her red Kool-aid to cool her down. She had been feeling so hot ever since she got pregnant! She briefly thought of Cloud and how on-guard he had been since he learned of her pregnancy. He was actually acting scared of her!

Aqua approached Tifa, interrupting her thoughts. "Excuse me, Mrs. Strife," she addressed. "Do you need for me to do anything?"

Tifa looked up at the blue-haired girl. Goodness, her new employees had such odd hair! Then again, she was married to the king of unique hair. "Not right now. Just make sure that Beatrix over there doesn't hurt Zidane or Wakka," she told Aqua.

By the time that Aqua turned to see the three children, it was too late. Beatrix had tackled Zidane and was pulling his tail. Zidane was crying out with each yank. Tifa was about to stand when Aqua dashed over to the two and pulled Beatrix off of the monkey. Beatrix was still kicking and punching as she was taken away from Zidane. The monkey curled up onto the pebbled ground and tucked his aching tail between his legs. He whimpered pitifully, but Tifa knew that he was just trying to be the victim. There was no doubt that he and Wakka had instigated the chase. He deserved a bit of a beating from the tomboy.

Nonetheless, she couldn't help but feel bad for him; that was like having his spine yanked.

Wakka, who had seen Zidane getting pummeled, hid behind the swirly slide.

Tifa made her way over to Zidane, Beatrix and Aqua. "He pulled my hair!" Beatrix defended before anyone else could explain.

Zidane looked up at Tifa with crying blue eyes, hoping that she'd take his side. "Didn't you see her?" he pleaded. "She hurt me!"

"Beatrix," Tifa bargained. "If Miss Aqua puts you down, will you hurt Zidane?"

She pouted. "Maybe…" she mumbled. Tifa raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. Beatrix looked down. "…No…"

Aqua quietly set down the ticking time bomb. By then, snickering Adelbert waddled over to the foursome. He pointed a chunky finger at Zidane. "Look what happens when you're mean to people who fight better than you," he taunted.

"Adelbert!" Aqua gasped.

Tifa scowled at the busybody. "You should know what happens to little boys who tease other people," she threatened. Adelbert blanched at the thought of a goody-two-shoes like himself being sentenced to the ever-dreaded time-out chair. "Now go play somewhere else."

Beatrix stuck her tongue out and Zidane briefly dropped his act and giggled at Mrs. Tifa's threat to the beefy boy. Adelbert hurried away so that he wouldn't get in trouble.

Once the Steiner boy was gone, Tifa turned back to the two rivals. "Zidane, why did you pull Beatrix's hair?" she asked.

Zidane gave a huge grin. "Because when I do, it goes BOING!" he sang, pantomiming pulling one of Beatrix's brown tendrils.

"I don't like it!" Beatrix shouted.

"Can you tell that to Zidane?" Tifa asked. Beatrix opened her mouth to scream at the monkey, but Tifa cut her off. "Nicely?"

Beatrix pouted. "I don't like it when you pull my hair," she grumbled.

"Now, Zidane…" Tifa began.

"Mrs. Strife!" Riku came bounding from the building. He had been keeping an eye on the nappers. Something must have been urgent if he left.

Tifa asked Aqua to make sure that the two made up while she tended to Riku.

"What's wrong?" Tifa asked the silver-haired boy.

"There's a kid who woke up," he explained. "He won't stop crying. I tried to pick him up, but he won't let me touch him."

Tifa nodded. "Okay. I'll take care of him. You can keep an eye on the kids out here," she told him. Riku seemed relieved that he was able to get some fresh air and release energy with the older kids while Tifa quietly tended to the napping toddlers. She grabbed her Kool-aid and fruit snacks before heading inside.

After going through a mental list of possible suspects, Tifa was sure that the culprit was either Zell or Tidus. They were the most needy, after all.

She was surprised to see that the two blondes were sleeping, but stirring from the quiet, but irregular sobs coming from a brown head that was peeking at her from over the side of a crib. Once he saw her enter the room, Squall reached his shaky arms out to Tifa, a demand to be held.

Tifa's heart melted. Was he finally warming up to her? She hoped so. He had been the only child that had ever come through her daycare that wasn't immediately attached to her.

She scooped the small boy up. He had his blanket clutched in one hand like always. It was held against him with one arm and the other arm reached up to Tifa's shoulder. Tifa began going to her rocking chair, hoping to quiet him down before the other children woke up and demanded that they have Tifa-Time, too.

She rocked Squall for a little while, elated that he was finally comfortable around her. Slowly but surely, he began calming down and his gaspy breaths were becoming few and far between. His exhausted head leaned against her soft chest sleepily. Then he would pick it back up defiantly and start to sob again, but then he would start to get sleepy and begin to lean his head back down. He was so cute! He was trying his best not to fall asleep.

Tifa gazed down at Squall, wishing that she had her baby. While she loved cuddling with the toddlers here, it wouldn't be the same as snuggling with her own flesh and blood. Besides, her baby wouldn't be as aloof as Squall, most likely… unless of course the baby took after Cloud. What if the baby did take after Cloud? The first thought that Tifa had about a Cloud-like baby was a momma's boy with hair that stuck up in all angles. Maybe the momma's boy part wasn't so bad, but those would be some wild baby photos…

Before Tifa knew it, Squall was peacefully asleep. She knew she should go back, but Squall could wake up at any minute… right? And the new guys could handle the kids. Tifa would just keep an eye on the napping children. They would come if they needed her.

Geez, her pregnancy was really making her want to be around younger kids. She decided to give into her hormones. Besides, Squall was finally cuddly. She wanted to enjoy that before he woke up.

* * *

By the time that Squall woke up, it was time for the children to go back home. Parents were coming in periodically and picking up their children.

Squall pushed away from Tifa and gave an unhappy moan as soon as he woke up. He fussed and struggled until Tifa set him down. Well, it was nice cuddling with him while it lasted.

When she did set him down, he stayed by her side but would not allow anyone to touch him.

The Farron sisters left first and rather quietly. Tifa noticed that Claire hadn't said a word all day, but then she spied a Harry Potter book under the pink-haired girl's arm.

Tidus's mom actually came on time this day and she left without much chatter. At least she showed up without Tifa having to call her and her faceless meatheaded husband.

Squall and Seifer's mothers came at about the same time. Squall ran to his mother and latched onto her pant leg. He began babbling to her about his nightmare where an evil time witch stopped time, but how Ms. Tifa helped him. Tifa smiled to herself as she turned to call Seifer.

She saw him in the playroom with action figures in each hand. "Seifer!" she called. "Your mom's here!"

The usually stoic boy's face lit up and he shot up where he stood, dropping the action figures. Then he suddenly regained his straight face as he ran to his mother.

Once all the kids went home and most of the new employees had gone home, Tifa and Aqua were left at the daycare.

"So why aren't you going home?" Tifa asked the blue-haired girl.

"Oh," she replied as she looked up from her phone. "My boyfriend's coming to pick me up. What about you?"

Tifa smiled as there was a low rumble in the parking lot. "Same. My husband," she told Aqua.

Through the glass doors, the two women saw a massive motorcycle and a pick-up truck pull into the lot.

Aqua grinned shyly. "There's Terra," she said as she grabbed her purse. "I had a good day today, Mrs. Strife."

"Just Tifa," the other woman told her. Aqua waved and made her way out to the pick-up. Inside was a handsome brown-haired boy waiting for her. He greeted Aqua warmly before putting the truck in reverse.

As the vehicle pulled away, a spiky-headed blonde entered the daycare.

Tifa stood up and met Cloud at the door with a kiss. "Hi there, stranger," she greeted.

Cloud looked down at Tifa happily and handed her a letter on fancy stationary. "Got a letter from Aerith today," he told her.

Tifa opened up the letter curiously, wondering what could be inside. After studying the note inside the envelope, she snorted in an amused way. "Zack and Aerith finally chose a date," she told Cloud who had been reading over her shoulder. "Aerith wants me to be her maid of honor."

Cloud ruffled Tifa's black hair. "Of course she would," he chuckled.

Tifa gasped, "Ah, Cloud!" she pointed at the date. "That's in six months!"

Cloud crossed his arms. "Yeah, Zack likes to take his time, dontcha think?"

"No, no, no…" Tifa gestured to her already growing stomach. "I'll be eight months along!" She hugged her stomach as her eyes went wide. "I'll be fat!"

Cloud kissed her forehead. "You won't be fat," he told her. "You'll be fine."

Tifa shifted her weight as she thought. "Oh, alright," she muttered. She pointed a finger in his face. "But you let me know if I do get fat!"

"Okay, fine," he sighed. He took her hand and began escorting her out to Fenrir. "Now let's go home."


	3. Month 3

Month 3

* * *

Tifa unlocked the doors to First Fantasy and trudged over to the front desk and sat at the computer, rubbing her face sleepily. She had barely slept a wink last night. She had been kept up until about midnight with a bout of nausea that amounted to nothing, and once that had gone away, she had been awake to pee what seemed like once every few minutes. It almost ticked her off how peacefully Cloud had slept after she told him at about 11 that she would be fine. Guys should get pregnant. Tifa paused in her typing long enough to imagine a miserable Cloud with a large baby stomach.

Nevermind. Guys can't handle pregnancy. Girls can barely handle it, and Tifa was willing to bet that women wouldn't be able to handle it if it wasn't the only way to have your own baby. The lack of options made it more bearable in a way. Nothing you can do about it, so why bother fretting?

Tifa continued scrolling through her email, checking for important messages. She whistled. Nobody was sick at home today, so Tifa would have around 30 kids to juggle. Thank God she had gotten help when she did. She yawned again and fought against her deep desire to doze off. She googled if coffee was bad during pregnancy, and after reading that anything less than a 12 ounce cup should be fine, made herself a small cup to sip on while she waited for some kids to come by and wake her up.

As usual, Mrs. Zuzela arrived early to drop Tidus off, who was excited, once again as usual, to have Tifa to himself. Some time later, children began coming in first one-by-one, then three-by-three, then seven-by-seven. Tifa didn't know if she'd be able to handle all of these kids. Luckily, her helpers had come in early, so she didn't have to worry as much.

Much to Tifa's relief, everything was going just fine and dandy. Even Zidane was being perfectly… er, more stable than usual. Tifa sat on her bench on the playground and ate her snack. Even though it was about 20 minutes before lunch, she couldn't risk another bout of nausea after last night's incident. She quietly nibbled at her chicken salad sandwich, happy to have a moment of peace while the daycare kids nicely played together on the playground.

Tifa suddenly had a horrible sinking feeling not originating from her sensitive condition. She glanced around the playground just as there was a blood-curdling shriek from over where the kids would play with chalk. Petunia had smashed Cobalt to the ground while Terra had leapt to the side. The green-haired girl was clutching a stuffed dragon to her chest; Tifa had seen Petunia give the toy to Cobalt just days prior.

Tifa leapt up, dropping her sandwich back in her lunchbox. As she hurried over to the altercation, Petunia screamed, "You betrayer! I hate you!" and threw a powerful left hook. Tifa quickly grabbed Petunia and tried to pull the girl off of her former friend. The brunette with the pink bangs thrashed in Tifa's tight grasp.

Light, who was standing near the fight, was startled and hopped back in surprise only to bump into Claire, resulting in her copy of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets crashing into the mud. The pink-haired girl screamed and tackled the boy.

No, no, no! Stop!

"Help!" Tifa shouted over the screaming children. The helpers heard the distress signal and they started over, but they were being awfully clumsy. It always seemed as if in times of emergency, people moved less coordinately and end up tripping!

In the madness, Serah ran to help her sister fight the squealing Light. Wanting in on the action, Luneth and Firion jumped into the battle royale with gusto. Meanwhile, Rinoa attacked Garnet, also wanting to be a part of the scene. This caused Zidane to go after Rinoa to protect the princess, Adelbert to maul Zidane to protect, well, the princess, and the trio of Beatrix, Golbez, and Cecil to try and destroy Adelbert.

Petunia managed to free herself from Tifa's now distracted and lose grasp. Luckily, Eliha immediately started trying to pull her friend off of the now bleeding Cobalt as soon as Petunia attacked. That would have to do for now. There were more violent battles going on. Locke, Yuna, and Lulu were going after Wakka. Tidus was punching Yuna and Zell had Tidus by the other arm and was biting it. Quistis was screaming at the top of her lungs and smacking Golbez, telling him to knock it off. Irvine was trying to get Selphie off of Squall, who was simultaneously attacking Snow and Seifer. Who were both punching Auron. Much to Tifa's dismay, Auron was now helping Petunia pummel Cobalt while fighting Snow and Seifer off.

And Bartz was far from the brawling groups and wildly thrashing at his stuffed chocobo, screaming all the while, "RARARARAR!"

This was too much! The helpers had finally come, but that wasn't enough. "STOP!" Tifa yelled as loud as she could. That didn't work at all. So, she booked it to the classroom, grabbed her emergency whistle and came back out. After taking a huge lungful of oxygen, she blew the whistle as obnoxiously loud as humanly possible.

The chaos immediately stopped. Tifa's usually calm and kind face was flushed and adorned with a deep scowl as she snapped her arm towards the building in a severe point. "EVERYONE! INSIDE! RIGHT NOW!"

The silence was palpable. Slowly, children started trudging back to the building. All except for Petunia. She sprinted to the open gate.

Oh no.

How long had that been open?

Tifa chased after her. She might be short, but a child had no chance of out-running her. With one fluid movement, Tifa picked the girl up and glared at the fuming child. "You are going inside. NOW," Tifa said with suppressed fury.

After everyone had assembled in the playroom, Tifa stood before them with firmly planted feet and crossed arms while she did a head-count. Two were missing. It didn't take very long to figure out that Kimahri and Vivi had disappeared. Tifa motioned Aqua over and quietly told her to go look for the two children before turning her sights back on the assembly. All lights were off except for the ones in the hall, and the curtains were drawn over the windows in preparation for nap-time. Helpers stood guard at any possible exit or hiding place. The children sat and stood in silence for a minute stretched into an eternity as Tifa tried to repress her anger and find words to say to all the misbehaving children.

Finally… "I'm _very_ disappointed in all of you," Tifa said sternly. She eyed the crowd of "innocent" faces looking at her with large, sad eyes. The room was so quiet that Tifa could practically count time in the patter of nervous heartbeats. She didn't move from her position. She eyed Auron. "I know _all_ of you know better," then panned her gaze around to every single child. Zell whimpered, but Tifa ignored it. Cobalt's nose was still bleeding.

She held up a finger. "Somebody get a tissue for Cobalt. The rest of you line up behind him in front of the infirmary," she stated. "If I hear a single peep out of any of you in the hallway, all of you are in big trouble."

After looking at the kids for a few more lifetime seconds, she silently walked into the infirmary without another word.

Tifa picked up her phone and called Cloud.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Hey, honey? Are you busy?"

"Well, I'm about to finish a delivery, but otherwise no. Why?"

"Um…" Tifa thought about the best way to put her situation. "I need you to look for a… uh, blue, humanoid cat and a black mage."

"…What?"

"Vivi and Kimarhi ran away."

She heard Cloud snicker. "Did someone let the cat out of the bag?"

Tifa ran a stressed hand through her hair. "No, we're playing hide-and-seek. Yes, they got out! And now is not the time for puns, Cloud. Really?"

"Sorry. On it," he said quickly.

Oh, now Tifa felt bad. She rubbed her face. "Sorry, it's been a crazy day."

"It's alright. Love you."

"Love you, too."

They hung up and Tifa rubbed her face. She suddenly felt more tired than she should have been, even with her lack of sleep.

The kids began filing in silently to get patched up. Iza, Kairi, Riku and Sora were helping Tifa with first aid (Lea was keeping an eye on the kids), but before bandages or Neosporin were applied, Tifa was going to question them.

Cobalt shuffled to Tifa first with his green eyes trained on the ground. He had a Kleenex pressed against his nose. Tifa leaned forward. "Cobalt," she asked softly, but still commandingly. "Why is your nose bleeding?"

"Petunia hit me," he mumbled just loud enough so that she could hear.

"And why did she hit you?"

He shifted anxiously. "I gave a dragon to Terra."

"Was the dragon special?"

He wouldn't meet her gaze. "Not really…" he whispered shyly.

"What was that?" Tifa asked, beginning to realize why Petunia was so livid.

Cobalt looked back up. "Yes…?"

"Was that very nice of you to give the dragon to Terra?"

"No," Cobalt murmured as he hung his head.

Tifa waved her hand in the direction of the helpers. "Go get help," she told him. He went away quietly to Kairi.

Rinoa was next. The dark-haired girl was fixing her Sleeping Beauty crown with her haughty chin held high and nose in the air. Tifa had to take a big breath. "Rinoa, what happened?"

She pointed an accusing finger at Garnet. "Garnet started it!" she whined.

Tifa narrowed her eyes. "Did she?"

"Yes, she did!"

Tifa crossed her arms. "I saw you start it," she said.

Rinoa's lip quivered for a split second, but she was too stubborn to give up this easily. "No you didn't! I didn't see you!"

Oh, god… Rinoa…

"Do you remember what happens to little girls who lie and whine?" Tifa asked, her patience wearing thin.

Rinoa's gaze hit the ground. "Time out," she sighed.

"So did you or Garnet start it?" Tifa asked.

"Well, if Petunia hadn't started fighting with Cobie, then I… I-I-I…!"

"Petunia doesn't have control over your body," Tifa interjected.

"Yes, she does!" Rinoa argued. "I…" She looked at the ground, realizing how silly that sounded.

Tifa realized that she was getting nowhere. "Go see Riku," she told the girl. Tifa remembered that Riku was the harshest helper in general and he already didn't like Rinoa. When Tifa saw his angry teal glare, she mouthed a "Sorry."

Zell was next. He waddled over to Tifa and blinked up at her with huge blue eyes on the verge of tears. "Sorry, mama," he whimpered as he wiped some blood from his mouth onto his sleeve. "I didn't mean to fight."

This was so hard…! Tifa softened like butter, but didn't melt. "Why did you do that, Zell? You know better," she told him.

He looked down, very ashamed. "I don't know," he said. He looked back up. "I'm a bad boy..."

Tifa couldn't help but smile. "Okay, where did you get hurt?" she asked.

He pointed at a bump on his head. "Owie," he explained.

Tifa had to force herself to stay "mad" at him. "You're going to have to tell your ma about this. And you're going to have to apologize to Tidus."

He nodded sullenly "Okay," he replied.

Even though Zell was "secretly" one of her favorites, she didn't want to look like he was. But even though she couldn't fix him up herself, she could still be nice. "Go see Sora," she told him. He quietly made his way over to the happy push-over.

The other kids went without much fuss (other than Tidus who came in screaming about his bitten arm). Tifa made all of them admit to what they did. It took longer for Petunia to fess up to her acts, and it was even more difficult to get Squall to say a single word.

Finally, it was Auron's turn. He had been hiding at the back of the line. After Adelbert had told his sob-story and left (he was a victim in the fight, but the proportions the boy blew the whole encounter to...you'd think hd single handedly fought off a whole army), nobody had come in. If Tifa hadn't known better, she would've thought that it were the end of the line. However, given the circumstances, she'd noticed that Auron had been absent from the line even though she was sure that she'd seen him in the play room.

"Auron," she called. The seven-year-old came in slowly and reluctantly from his hiding place in the hall.

She eyed him for a minute before saying, "I'm very disappointed in you. You should know better," she scolded.

He didn't say anything.

"Auron, how old are you?"

"Seven," he muttered.

"And do seven-year-olds fight with five and six-year olds?" she asked.

He looked up briefly. "They started it," he said.

Tifa raised an eyebrow. "Well, then… why didn't you stop it?"

Auron shrugged and kept his eyes trained to the ground.

The rumbling sounds of motorcycles came from outside. Auron was safe… for now. Tifa looked at the dark-haired boy. "We'll talk about this later," she said.

He went to Lea to get patched up while Tifa went to the small lobby. Cloud and one of his partners that Tifa didn't recognize were parking their massive bikes. To Tifa's dismay there was no horned blue cat or black mage on the backs of the motorcycles.

Tifa hurried outside to meet Cloud and his partner. Why would a delivery boy need a partner? Cloud might get backed up on orders sometimes. Tifa wondered this a tad more before returning to the pressing matter at hand.

"Thank you so much for coming," Tifa breathed. She hugged Cloud happily.

"We got here as soon as we could," Cloud said. He broke away from her and gestured to his brown-haired friend. The first thought that ran through Tifa's head when she saw the battle-scarred man was _cold. _He had a permanently bitter expression, made more sour by a scar across his nose, and long hair to match.

"This is Leon," Cloud introduced.

Tifa forced a smile despite her rough day. She put her hand out for Leon to shake. "I'm Tifa," she greeted.

Leon blankly looked at her hand, but eventually shook it.

Tifa was slightly put-off by Leon's rudeness, but he was here to help, so she dismissed the behavior. "So you two haven't seen the kids?"

Cloud shook his head as Leon crossed his arms…crossly.

"Not yet. Where do you think they would have gone?" Cloud asked.

"Well, they went out the gate I don't know how long ago," Tifa sighed as she ran a hand through her hair, "Here. Come inside and I'll tell you what happened and show where the gate is." Tifa turned and started leading the men inside the daycare. Leon glanced up at the colorful sign somewhat distastefully before following Cloud into the children's lair.

Cloud noticed something on Tifa's arm and took her hand to inspect it closely, "Are these scratches?"

Tifa rubbed her face, "I'll explain in a bit."

Zell toddled up to Tifa and held up his hands, his eyes slightly red and puffy and his face lined with small tear streaks. "Mama…"

Leon raised an eyebrow and glanced at Tifa, observing the exchange. Tifa hesitated, not sure whether to pick Zell up or punish him by not. "You need to promise to be good from now on, 'kay?" she reminded.

He nodded as a large tear formed in one of his eyes and threatened to drop. "I pwomise, mama," he mumbled as he wiped his eye with a grubby hand.

With a small smile, Tifa picked up the sniffling boy. "You're still going to have to tell your ma what you did, you know," she told him.

He nodded. "I know, mama," he hiccupped. "Sowwy."

Cloud furrowed his brow. "Did he attack you?" he asked his wife.

Tifa tilted her head a bit. "Not me necessarily…"

Suddenly, a blonde flash zipped over to Leon. "Hello!" Zidane hollered.

Without hesitation, Leon reached behind him and grabbed Zidane's wrist. The monkey was reaching for Leon's back pocket. Zidane's face went white and he stiffened. "Scram," Leon commanded. He released Zidane's hand. The monkey looked at Tifa in fear, startled that this newcomer was so prepared for his antics.

"I told you not to steal," the daycare owner said harshly. She pointed at the nap room. "Go sit in time out. Do not leave for 10 minutes. I'll let Kairi and the others know, so don't try to fool them."

Without another word, Zidane sulked to time out with none of his usual argument, probably still feeling guilty about the events of that morning.

Leon looked at Tifa. "Is it always this hectic here?" he asked in his deep, slightly constipated-sounding voice.

Tifa wasn't sure whether that was an insult or not, so she treated it as a question. "Not usually. We just had a bit of a mutiny this morning," she explained.

"What happened?" Cloud asked urgently. He was still wondering about the scratches on his wife's arms.

"Zell was a bad boy," Zell murmured.

"Sh," Tifa hushed. Zell hid his face in her shoulder. "Here's what happened…"

Tifa explained to the two men the battle on the playground and how the two quiet kids slipped out the open gate.

Once she was finished explaining, Tifa heard the lunchroom door open slightly. A pair of light blue eyes were peeking at the group curiously, trying to analyze the newcomers.

"Hi, Squall," Tifa greeted softly. She was beginning to calm down now that the extra help had arrived. "Do you want to come say 'hi' to Cloud and Leon?"

Squall stayed silent for a moment, and then toddled out quickly and wrapped his skinny arms around Leon's leg. Leon looked down at the small brown-headed boy, but didn't tell him to leave.

Tifa's heart broke a little bit. She frowned and closed her eyes. How did the aloof, cold Leon attract that shy boy who still hadn't completely warmed up to Tifa? The woman who (almost) every child adored?

_Oh, that hurts,_ Tifa thought painfully.

* * *

Tifa stayed at the daycare while Cloud and Leon went to find Kimarhi and Vivi. With Aqua also looking in the neighborhood surrounding the daycare, she had three people searching. She told the three to call her as soon as they found the two boys, who hopefully were together.

Meanwhile, Tifa decided that it would be best if all the kids stayed inside for the rest of the day. Luckily, they were fairly quiet.

Tifa's stomach grumbled and she told the kids that it was lunchtime. She also warned the kids that after lunchtime, everyone was going to lay down for a nap. Yes, even the big kids. She looked around for her sandwich.

"Where did I…? Ohh, no…" Tifa rubbed her face and went outside to get her sandwich. Her chicken salad sandwich that had been sitting outside in tepid tupperware for 2 hours. She looked distrustfully at the sandwich sitting innocently in its plastic container before throwing it away with a sigh and raiding the cabinets for peanut butter and jam. When the kids were all done eating, Tifa, Lea, Sora, Roxas, and Kairi laid out the extra nap mats and put the kids on silent mode. The true testament to the impact Tifa's anger had had was when Rinoa let herself be tucked in without a fuss. The girl hugged Prince Phillip close to her and glanced nervously in Tifa's direction before closing her eyes.

Once all the kids were laid down and showing no sign of moving, Tifa sat down in the squashy storytelling chair and dozed.

And was abruptly woken up by her phone buzzing in her pocket. Whoops. How long had she slept? Tifa hurriedly fumbled with the phone and stepped into the hallway and answered it so it wouldn't wake any of the kids. "Hello…?"

"Tifa, are you okay?"

It was Cloud.

Tifa rubbed her eyes, "I'm fine… What is it?"

"We found Kimahri and Vivi. But they won't let us near them. Could you wait out front of the daycare? They'll cooperate if you're here with us."

"Sure. Thank you so much." They hung up and Tifa told everyone where she was going and called Aqua to tell her and come back before she went outside to wait.

Tifa had been sitting on the curb for about 5 minutes before she heard the rumble of a motorbike pulling around the corner. She stood, happy to see Cloud again. When she looked up as the bike pulled near, it was into piercing gray eyes and long brown hair. Tifa's face fell slightly.

_You are not my husband._

Leon scratched the back of his head, "Cloud thought the kids would run off if he left me with them…" he said somewhat awkwardly, "…Sorry."

"Uh, it's fine, Leon. I understand," Tifa awkwardly climbed onto the back of the bike. She said a silent thank you to the inventor of the jeans. Even if Tifa had been in shorts (Heaven forbid a skirt) she would have been much more uncomfortable than she already was. Right when Tifa had gripped onto the bike seat to avoid hugging Leon, he jumped forward and tore down the street. Tifa gasped and latched onto Leon's back to keep from being thrown off.

* * *

Leon slowed down as he had his inner monologue. As soon as he had hit the gas, Tifa surprised him a bit by grabbing onto him.

_I thought that I was going slower than usual… I guess not. Cloud told me to be careful with her. But now she's squeezing me. I can feel her stomach. There's a baby in there… That's weird. And her boobs. I don't know how I feel about this. Wait, Cloud is my friend. Now it's awkward. I'll slow down to the speed limit so she'll let go... Whatever._

* * *

Leon thankfully slowed down some and Tifa loosened her grip as much as she was comfortable doing. Ohh, he really needed to slow down.

"You know I get morning sickness. Slow down!" Tifa warned, not entirely making up the need for worry.

Leon abruptly slowed down, causing Tifa to slam into the back of his leather jacket. Now she really felt sick…

"Ugh…" Tifa closed her eyes and laid her forehead on Leon's back. He glanced back at her uneasily and drove under the school speed limit the rest of the way to meet Cloud.

Leon pulled up to Cloud and Tifa got off the bike quickly, but the ground kept moving. She put her hand to her head and swayed.

Cloud ran over to her, "Leon! I told you to be careful!"

Tifa pushed off of Cloud before running to a trash can and dry heaving. Cloud glared at his friend and went to go help her.

Leon's brow crinkled and he shut off his bike.

"Are you okay, Ms. Tifa?" a small voice asked. Cloud looked over at Vivi staring up at him and his wife. He heard vomit hit the bottom of the trashcan and Tifa sobbed.

"Ohhh…my sandwich…" she straightened some and wiped her mouth before wiping her eye free of tears with her other, clean, hand. She sobbed again, "I'm sorry…" she stuttered.

Cloud rubbed her back, "It's alright. We can make you another sandwich when we get back. Do you feel better?"

Tifa broke down into tears, "You're so niiiice…" she hiccupped. "I ha-a-ate hormones… And today's just been a _re-eally_ crappy day… Cloud, you d-did this to mee…"

Cloud blinked several times, totally taken off-guard by this sudden meltdown, "I'm sorry, Tifa."

She continued to wipe her rapidly leaking eyes, smearing her mascara and gasping and choking, "It-ngt-'s okay, I forgi-ive youuu…"

Cloud shot Leon a dirty look and Kimahri dropped down from the tree he had been hiding in to stand between Tifa and Leon. Vivi patted Tifa on the knee comfortingly. Cloud looked down at the two boys, "Uh... Ms. Tifa's really tired today, okay? Make sure you don't say that word, alright?"

"What word?" Vivi asked.

"…Nevermind."

Leon rubbed his arms awkwardly and glanced at the weeping Tifa, "I'm really sorry…"

"It's okaaaaay…I-" she hiccupped, coughed, and sobbed, "I'm f-fi-i-ngh-uh huh… Don-nn't you worry about mehee…"

A worried-looking passerby approached the group, "Are you okay, ma'am?"

Tifa nodded several times and bit her knuckles to try and stop crying. Cloud rubbed her shoulders, "She's just had a really rough day."

"I-'m not normally t-this wuh-way. I'm j-just pr- pr-" she pointed at her stomach, "Ba-ay-by..."

"Aww, well I hope you feel better soon."

She nodded again, "Cloud, can you take me back now…?"

Cloud shook his head, "I'm going to call Aerith so she can take you home. You need a break. Go take a bath and get some rest."

"Okay… I like baths… But I still want a sandwich…"

"I'll ask Aerith to take you somewhere on your way home."

Tifa started sobbing afresh, "You're so g-good to me, Cluh-Cluh-oud…"

Cloud kissed Tifa's forehead sympathetically and called Aerith, who came and picked Tifa and the kids up (in her 4-wheeled, stable car) to bring Vivi and Kimahri back to the daycare and take Tifa home. On her way back to the house, Tifa thought about Zell. He would be so upset when he woke up and Tifa wasn't there, but he would get even more upset if he ever saw her like this. Mascara smeared all over her face and blubbering uncontrollably like a baby. But thinking about how Zell would be upset set Tifa off all over again, much to her dismay.

* * *

After seeing Tifa off and smoothing things over with Leon, apparently he had never ridden with a passenger on his bike before, Cloud went back to the daycare to help the helpers finish the day and get everyone sent home, although Zell was wandering around looking for and crying for Tifa and promising to the empty air never to be a bad boy again. He kept this up until his mom came to pick him up. By the time the daycare had closed and Tidus was the only one still needing to be sent home, Cloud was more than irritated. He wanted to call the house and see how Tifa was doing, but didn't want to wake her if she was sleeping.

Tidus sat on Cloud's shoulders and peered around the daycare from his new vantage point while Cloud checked his watch every few minutes. Aqua was also hanging around with Terra until Tidus was picked up. The blue-haired girl approached Cloud at 6:07 and nudged his shoulder. He looked over at her. He still wasn't very comfortable talking with people he didn't know well.

"We can watch Tidus if you want to go home and be with Tifa, Mr. Strife," she offered, "Right, Terra?"

Terra shrugged, "Don't have anything planned. I don't see why not."

Cloud looked them over. They were trustworthy enough if Tifa hired Aqua permanently.

"…You don't mind?" he asked.

"Of course not!" Aqua assured with a smile, "Here, let me take him. Tidus! Wanna go make a fort with me and Terra?"

Tidus reached his arms out to Aqua immediately and started chanting "Fort! Fort!"

Cloud nodded, "Thank you," and walked briskly out the door and went home.

When he arrived back at the house, Cloud was greeted by a pink apron-clad Zack.

"Hey, buddy!" He exclaimed, "How ya been? Aer's upstairs doin' girl stuff with Teef. I dunno if you want to trek into that territory right now."

Cloud raised an eyebrow, "What kind of girl stuff?"

The tall brunette shrugged. "I dunno. Nails. Baby books. Baby clothes. Baby names. Baby-"

"I get it." Cloud rolled his eyes and smirked at his friend, "Can I at least come in my house now?"

Zack sucked air through his teeth and made a worried face, "I dunno, man. You might break out in an apron. The estrogen fumes are pretty potent."

Cloud grimaced, "Zack, that's gross."

"Haha!" Zack stepped to the side and let Cloud in. The pair sat on the couch in the living room and Zack took the apron off and tossed it over the armrest.

"So Tifa's calmed down, then?" Cloud asked, noting the lack of hysterical sobbing coming from upstairs.

"Yeah. Aer works some serious magic when it comes to calming people, but everyone knows that. Teef was pretty torn up when I got here, though. What'd you do?"

Cloud shot an annoyed look at Zack. "Nothing. She just had a really bad day and a pretty traumatic experience. It was just too much."

"Whoa, whoa. Traumatic? You're traumatizing your pregnant wife, Spike? That's not cool, man…"

"Not me! She just had too much today and couldn't handle it. I was trying to help her calm down."

There were two pairs of feet rushing down the staircase, announcing the appearance of Aerith and Tifa, who appeared on cue a second later.

"Cloud, you're home!" Tifa trotted over to him and sat down and sighed, "I'm really sorry about earlier. I don't know why I got so upset over the tiniest things…" Tifa blushed, remembering how out of control she had been.

Cloud shook his head, "It's fine."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

Aerith draped her arms over the back of the couch and around Zack's shoulders, resting her cheek on the top of his head, "Are the burgers ready to be cooked?"

Zack reached up and hugged Aerith, "Yup. All ready as soon as you and Teef wanna throw 'em on to cook."

"Sorry I couldn't help. Need me to do anything?" Cloud leaned forward and rested his elbows on his thighs.

Tifa shook her head, "You took care of me and didn't get mad at all. And you closed for me. Go ahead and sit. The food'll be ready in just a bit, alright?"

"Alright. Thanks, Tifa."

"Oh gosh, it's the least I could do," Tifa laughed.


	4. Month 4

I LIIIIIVE! So, so, so sorry I haven't uploaded in forever and a half, but freaking tests... I should be a little more open for the next couple weeks, so I'll try and get the next month written and uploaded nice and quickly, so bear with me until summer, pretty please?

* * *

Month 4

* * *

Tifa gave up struggling and irritably threw her jeans into the hamper. She hollered downstairs, "Cloud!"

"Yeah?"

"I can't fit my jeans and all my other pants are dirty!"

* * *

Tifa got to First Fantasy, unlocked, and prepared to open. She tightened the belt around her hips holding up some of Cloud's cargo pants before adjusting her varying-degrees-of-tightness shirt. Zack and Cloud had found a "Don't Eat Watermelon Seeds" tee and thought it too funny to pass up, but hadn't accounted for Tifa's larger belly or breast before buying. She felt she had to humor them at least once. She pulled the bottom of the shirt back down from near her belly button as she thought about all of the new clothes she was getting and wearing since becoming pregnant. Maternity shirts, maternity pants, special bras, LOTS of oversized T-shirts (they were just too comfortable to ignore), and now Cloud's clothes. Not that she hadn't worn them on occasion before, but it had never been a no-choice matter. And for the ultimate in new attire, Tifa would still have to get a nice maternity dress for Aerith and Zack's wedding, but she couldn't buy it until right before or she'd risk not fitting the dress properly on the day it actually mattered. Plus she'd been going gaga for any cute baby clothes she came across. Tifa was almost not wanting to know her baby's sex so to keep her from buying up any gender-appropriate onesie or shirt she found after that. She shook her head and focused back on work. Tifa pulled her shirt back down then got an idea and hoisted Cloud's pants higher and tried to tie the belt around her rounded middle. That didn't work, but the elastic in the waistband of the pants was snug against her belly without the belt, so she left the it in a drawer and made a mental note to not let the pants fall down when she stood up.

After Tidus, Luneth, Vivi, Vaan, Locke, Zidane, Zell, and Auron had been dropped off, the woman Tifa recognized as Rinoa's caretaker arrived, but without girl in tow.

"Hello. Where's Rinoa?" Tifa asked after getting Auron signed in. The boy waved his parents goodbye before trotting into the back to play.

"She'll be here in a couple of hours. You are aware that her birthday was today?"

Tifa nodded, wondering what was wrong, "Well, yes. I had a little something special planned for lunch. Why? Does she have an allergy?"

The attendant looked around the establishment and furrowed her brow, "It's just… You know how Rinoa is with her themes?"

Tifa blinked. Surely she wasn't expected to make her daycare into Disneyland? "I'm afraid I don't have the money to decorate with much more than streamers. A theme to her level of, er, dedication is a bit unreasonable."

Rinoa's caretaker waved her hands reassuringly, "Oh no, no, I understand completely. I was just being sent to ask if you would be okay if the Carraways decorated First Fantasy for you." The woman cleared her throat awkwardly, "They also asked if, uh, if the children wouldn't mind playing out certain roles for today…" she scratched her head, knowing how over-the-top this all was. But she just wanted to keep her job. It paid surprisingly well, and if you spent as much time with Rinoa as she did, you had to develop a soft spot for the rambunctious girl.

Tifa blinked, "Oh, wow. What kind of theme is this?" It wasn't hard for Tifa to guess, but…

"Princesses, of course," Rinoa's attendant laughed.

"Disney? Or just Princess?"

"Just Princess. Here," she dug around in her bag and produced a sheet of paper, "I have a list of all the roles that Mrs. Caraway said would be perfect, and Mr. and Mrs. Carraway have everything you would need to make sure everyone gets a costume."

Tifa laughed and pulled down her shirt (the pants refused to stay up by themselves, so the belt was back), "Costumes? But I've never told you how many kids of what sizes and genders I have. Unless you've been peeking at my books," she added with a jokingly suspicious look at the Carraway nanny.

Rinoa's assistant laughed, "No, I haven't been spying. Mr. and Mrs. Carraway weren't sure of how many boys and girls you had either, so they just got 200 costumes of varying designs and sizes. Of course, you and your workers also have costumes to wear for today."

Tifa's eyes widened. How filthy rich were Rinoa's parents? "I'm afraid I don't know if I'll be able to use your costumes. Unless you have one fit exactly to my picky shape." Tifa pulled the bottom of her shirt back down over her plump middle, beginning to get annoyed with the fabric.

"Actually, Tifa, they have that taken care of as well. I let them know about your pregnancy when they insisted you should have a costume. Would you like to see the dresses? They are, needless to say, fit for a Queen."

Tifa cocked an eyebrow, "I'm going to be a Queen?" From cargo pants and a small t-shirt to royalty, huh? Tifa felt a bit like Cinderella, and smirked at the sensation.

"You're going to be _the_ Queen."

"An evil one?" Tifa huffed with her smirk still in place. She wouldn't be surprised.

The attendant laughed, "I don't think so."

"Alright. I'll look at the outfits for everyone. I have to say I'm impressed at the lengths Rinoa's parents will go to to keep her happy."

"You get used to it."

* * *

After Tifa ogled at all the beautiful costumes intended for her, her helpers, and her kids, (there was even a handful of men's costumes suspiciously close to Cloud's size) and looked at all of the props and Broadway-ready stage settings, she had no choice but to let First Fantasy Daycare be turned into a medieval, pink, sparkly castle.

* * *

Aqua went straight to work, writing down the name of every kid who came in, and then cutting the sheet into slips which she placed in two hats; one for boys and one for girls. Once all the kids arrived, they would announce who would be playing what part.

After the first boys were dropped off and while Tifa was preoccupied with Rinoa's assistant, other kids were dropped off as well. The arrivals of Yuna, the Farron sisters, the Harvey brothers, Kimarhi, Light, Squall, Snow, Petunia and Eliha, Seifer, Garnet, Firion, Cobalt, Adelbert, Beatrix, Lulu, Bartz, Terra, Selphie, Irvine, Wakka, and Quistis ensured Tifa that it was going to be a busy day. Not to mention the newcomers. Fran (a tall, pretty seven year old with delicate features and tall rabbit ears) and Freya (a six year old rat girl with white fur who was far cuter than Tifa had expected) arrived amid the mix of familiar faces.

Finally, a woman with long silver hair entered First Fantasy with silver-haired triplets in tow. A chill went down Tifa's spine. The silver-gray hair adorned by the family, and their identical piercing turquoise eyes resembled… Tifa shook her head. There was no way…

"You must be Liza," Tifa greeted with a smile, remembering an email she got from a woman who had asked about her daycare.

The silver-haired woman gave a bow and then went to the counter. "That's me!" she sang cheerfully. As Liza signed her boys in, Tifa glanced down at the three. The chunky one with short curly hair was inspecting a potted tree in the corner and poking it with a grubby finger. The boy with the longest hair that Tifa almost mistook for a girl was peering at the crayon-drawings taped onto the wall. The last boy with shoulder-length hair was clinging to his mother's leg and eyeing Tifa distrustfully.

After Liza had signed everyone in, she placed a religious pamphlet onto the counter. "Have you ever heard of Jenova?" she asked the daycare owner.

Tifa looked skeptical. "Um… yes…?" How many times had she, Cloud, and their friends fought that stupid alien?

Liza smiled. "That's great! I'm a Jenova's Witness, here to share the wonderful news of Her greatness."

"Thank you," Tifa said slowly. "But I'm actually a member of the Lifestream Church."

Liza's face fell. "Oh," she said quietly. "Well, if you're ever curious about Jenova…"

Tifa nodded. "Thank you," she said, hoping that the gray-haired woman would leave or at least drop the subject.

Liza knelt down to her boys and smiled, "Now you three don't give Ms. Tifa a hard time. Loz, no pulling hair, Yazoo, try and talk to some people, and Kadaj, don't worry. I'll be back to pick you up before you know it."'

When Liza kissed her triplets goodbye and left, the smallest boy, Kadaj, wailed and dashed to the door."Mother!" He pounded on it helplessly and sank down to his knees in despair. It was Squall and Seifer's first days all over again. She let the boy's brothers console him. The chunky boy, Loz, and feminine boy, Yazoo, swooped to their bawling brother.

"Don't worry, Kadaj," Loz said. "We're gonna have lots of fun!"

Kadaj wiped a tear from his red-rimmed eye. "But Mother is leaving us!" he sobbed.

Yazoo silently patted the crying boy's head as Tifa approached them. She knelt down carefully. "Hey, there," she said.

Three pairs of glowing teal eyes gazed up at her. Kadaj hid his shyly.

"Your mother will be back later this afternoon. Until then, we're going to have a birthday party for one of the girls if you'd like to play with us," Tifa explained to them.

"But I want Mother here!" Kadaj whined, not looking Tifa in the face.

Loz squinched his nose. "Girls are gross," he fussed.

Yazoo just cocked his head curiously.

Tifa sighed, trying to figure out the best way to coax the boys. "Do you want to play with other kids?" she asked them. "I'm sure they'll all love you."

Loz's face lit up and the loud, bigger brother said happily, "I wanna play!"

"But Loz…!" Kadaj argued, probably trying to remind his brother of their absent mother.

Knowing that the boy wouldn't stop whining any time soon, Tifa took Kadaj's brothers into the playroom where the helpers were assembling the other children. Kadaj followed, not wanting to be left behind.

Rinoa would be getting there in another hour, probably with a huge fanfare and surrounded by over-the-top special effects. Until then, the other kids needed to be assigned roles for Rinoa's party and sent to the handful of assistants the Carraways had sent to help with costumes.

Riku, Sora (along with two of Sora's quadruplet brothers, Roxas and Ventus), and Isa worked on crowd patrol while Aqua and Kairi and Kairi's sisters, Namine and Xion, assisted Tifa. When Tifa had learned of the Carraway's plan for Rinoa's birthday, she had asked if any of her helpers knew anyone else who could help.

Kairi had a list of roles that needed to be filled, Aqua had the hat full of girls' names and Tifa had the one for boys.

"Okay, kids!" Tifa called. The kids focused on her without any hesitation. They were being awfully well behaved so far. "We're going to be having a Princess birthday party for Rinoa today—"

There were a few whines from boys (mostly Loz, Seifer, and Snow), but Riku quieted them down. Tifa went on. "So, the Carraways were kind enough to give us some costumes for us to play in, but first we need to give you parts to play today. Kairi will read a role of the list, and then I will choose a name if the part is for a boy and Aqua will choose one if it is for a girl."

Adelbert's hand shot up in the air.

"Yes, Adelbert?" Tifa sighed.

"Why didn't we do something like this for _my_ birthday?" he fussed.

How could Tifa put this? "Because Rinoa's parents planned this specially for her and gave the daycare everything we needed to put it on," she told him. The Steiner boy didn't argue, but he had a pensive look on his face.

"Let's begin!" Kairi chimed. She looked down at her paper. "We need thirteen knights…"

Most of the boys (with Beatrix, Petunia, Yuna, and Selphie added in) raised their hands and began chanting "Me! Me! Me!"

Lea and Ventus hushed the kids while Kairi began reading off. "Sir Lancelot will be…" she glanced over to Tifa who pulled a name from the boys' hat.

"Auron!" Tifa cheered. Auron stood up with a smug smile.

Tifa looked to Isa. "Isa, will you help the assistants with the costumes? You too, Sora."

Sora nodded, "'Kay," and followed the older teen over to the costumes with Auron.

Soon, the round table was full of other eager boys: There was Sir Cador (Light), Sir Bors the younger (Luneth), Sir Hoel (Golbez), Sir Galahad (Bartz), Sir Percival (Irvine), Sir Palamedes (Seifer), Sir Robin (Adelbert), Sir Tristan (Tidus), Sir Bediviere (Wakka), Sir Ywain (Vaan), Sir Lamorak (Snow), and Sir Gawain (Cobalt).

"What about King Arthur?" Tifa heard Adelbert whine from the costume racks.

"I'm getting to that," she sighed. "King Arthur will be…" the daycare owner plucked a slip from the hat. She had to read over the name several times to be sure that she was reading it correctly. "Bea… trix…?"

Beatrix bounced straight up, hands planted on her hips and curls swinging. "I'm King Arthur! The leader of the knights!" she exclaimed.

"You can't be King Arthur!" Golbez argued in disbelief. "King Arthur was a boy!"

"I don't know how her name got in there!" Aqua gasped, dismayed by her carelessness.

Beatrix's face fell. "So I don't get to be King Arthur?" she asked quietly. All the other kids were staring at her anxiously as if she was about to explode.

Tifa closed her eyes. "You can be King Arthur," she said. There was jeering from some of the knights and Beatrix stuck her tongue out at them. They stopped only when Tifa glared them down. "But you all need to behave."

Beatrix nodded hastily. "Yes, Miss Tifa," she replied before joining her fellow knights.

After the knights were chosen, the medics, mages and other specialized warriors and castle staff were assigned. There were archers (Firion and Fran), medics (Cecil and Serah), the Ladies in Waiting (Terra and Selphie), mages (Vivi, Lulu, Yuna, and Eliha), dragoons (Freya and Kimahri), the book-keeper (a very satisfied Claire who happened to be reading The Prisoner of Askaban at the moment), the advisor (Quistis), and the Jester (who was Zell, of course… he seemed to love his new role). There were also animals and spies. The spies were Zidane and Locke, and Tifa didn't think that the pick could be any more accurate. There were four dragons (this included the Jenova brothers and an elated Petunia) and Garnet, who was a unicorn.

Her lip quivered as soon as her name was called to be the unicorn. "Is this because of my horn?" she squeaked, her large eyes beginning to water.

"Oh, of course not, sweetie!" Tifa exclaimed.

"But why is there even a unicorn?" the princess sniffed.

Namine came to the rescue. "Being a unicorn is a gift," she explained. "They're very rare creatures known for their magical abilities and beauty. There's only one unicorn! That makes you very, very special!" she clarified happily.

Garnet smiled shyly and blushed. "Oh, well… thank you, Miss Namine," she murmured. "I didn't know you knew so much about unicorns."

Namine smiled and nodded, "Oh, I love unicorns. I have books all about them!" Kairi and Xion grinned at each other, knowing how true that was, "But there aren't very many," Namine continued. "I haven't even seen one. They can't be captured because they're so smart and powerful."

Garnet nodded, a smile on her face. "Alright! I will be a unicorn today!"

With Garnet chosen to be the unicorn, Tifa thought that they were finished. Then she saw Squall sitting alone on the rug. He was looking at them expectantly.

Tifa hurriedly glanced over at the list. "Is there anything else?" she asked Kairi.

Kairi's cheeks turned pink when she saw the last role not crossed out and she coughed. "Um… The Prince…"

Tifa bit her lip, trying not to laugh. Squall was not exactly the 'princely' type. Squall's lip quivered as he heard the women deciding his fate. His gray eyes got enormous. For the first time, he actually talked to Tifa.

"Can I go howme?" he whimpered.

Tifa walked over and knelt down by him. "Sorry, Squall, but you have to stay here today," she said. She smiled, "You get to be the prince! That's a good thing!"

From the other side of the room, an armor-clad Seifer pointed at the little brown-headed child. "Nyeh, nyeh! You have to be the prince! That means you have to marry stinky Rinoa!" he jeered.

Squall scowled and made a loud, abrupt yelling noise. The bark was probably Squall-speak for "Shut up!"

Seifer was rewarded with a sharp "Hey," from Riku. Seifer slinked away to the other knights on the playground. Riku followed him out.

Tifa sighed and knelt down to Squall's eye level, wondering how she was going to keep kneeling in those dresses for her, if any would even fit. "Would you be okay being the prince for me today, Squall? It would mean a lot to everyone here."

The 3-year-old shook his head resolutely.

"What's wrong with The Prince? What don't you like about him?"

Squall stared down at the ground and muttered stubbornly, "...I want to be a knight."

Tifa nodded, seeing a way to turn this to her favor, "But didn't you know that lots of princes are even stronger than knights are? They have to train hard every day in case someone attacks their kingdom, so that they can grow up and be King. You can't be King if you don't have a kingdom."

Squall glanced up at Tifa, curious.

Seeing his changing opinion, Tifa continued, "And Knights are actually helpers for Princes and Kings. That's why King Arthur leads his Knights, and not the other way around."

Squall blinked and stared over at the costume racks suspiciously, wondering which he would be put in and hoping it involved armor,"…Was King Arthur a prince?"

"Probably. Do you want to go look at your costumes? I'm sure they have a really special one for the Prince." Tifa held her hand out for Squall to take, but the boy just moved to stand closer to the daycare owner. She rolled her eyes and smiled before standing and leading Squall over to the costume rack. Once Squall was distracted looking for the coolest outfit, Xion came over to Tifa and whispered in her ear.

"Um," the dark-haired girl started quietly, "I found the Prince's outfit. I don't think Squall will like it very much."

Tifa nodded. "Let me see. I'll see what I can do. I don't want him to get upset, but I _really_ don't want to deal with a Rinoa tantrum today."

Xion nodded and lead Tifa over to the Prince's costume. As soon as she saw the first ruffle, she set to work adding everything needed to make the Prince look less like a flamenco dancer and more like a hero.

Tifa finished fastening the small, realistic play sword to Squall's belt and got all the kids back inside the playroom with help from everyone. When the cacophony of kids playing out their roles didn't simmer down, a loud "HEEEEEY!" from Ventus and Sora got everyone's attention.

Tifa nodded to the two boys in thanks while Roxas hid his face, embarrassed by his brothers' behavior. "Okay, everyone! Rinoa is going to be here in 10 minutes, but now all us old people have to get dressed up. Half of us are going to get dressed at a time, so make sure to be nice to who's helping you, okay?" Tifa beamed at her children, happy that they were all having so much fun. The classroom broke out into kids saying they'll be good and others resuming their play.

Ten minutes later, all the daycare kids were lined up in their colorful, elaborate costumes. The knights and dragons had a bit of dirt on them from playing in the sparring ring, but otherwise the cast of children looked like a shrunken version of Camelot. Even the daycare held little resemblance to its usual self. Add props and sets to the costumes everyone wore, a promise of cake and other treats later, and all the children were on their best behavior while waiting for their princess to arrive.

Tifa counted heads in the former craft room (it was currently the throne room) before going back to the lobby. She adjusted her costume a bit as she walked. From the belly down, the dress was a perfect fit. Unfortunately, the top was a bit… baggy. Tifa briefly pictured Rinoa telling her parents, "The daycare lady has ginormous boobies!"

For the first time, Tifa felt that someone had overestimated her size.

As she expected, Rinoa had arrived by the she had reached the front. There was an actual horse buggy complete with four whinnying white horses. The birthday girl was lifted out by a caretaker dressed as a coachman. The now three-year-old was decked out in a shimmering silver gown and matching tiara that probably cost at least 1000 gil. She had a haughty smile on her face as she was set down. She pranced over to Tifa and stopped. The girl looked up at the daycare owner and gave a curtsy. "Good morrow, mother!" she greeted with the best British accent that a little kid could do. Rinoa was in full roleplay mode.

Tifa played along and curtsied back. "Good morrow to you," she replied.

The birthday girl abruptly broke character. "No, no, no!" she corrected, waving her little hands in front of her frantically. She leaned forward, as if scolding a pup who didn't do a trick right. "You're supposed to use an accent to sound fancy." She cleared her throat. "Now try again—Good morrow, mother!"

Tifa sighed and bowed. "Good morrow to you," she said with an accent. Tifa had the feeling that a Rinoa-tantrum today would be worse than normal.

Rinoa beamed and held out her hand. "Please take me to my subjects. I would like to address them," she demanded.

Tifa continued playing along, hoping Rinoa would be willing to drop the act after play-acting for a while.

All of the children greeted Rinoa enthusiastically upon her entrance to the throne room. The princess had then been guided up to the top of the pink castle in the throne room, and stood on the balcony with her chin held high as her "subjects" were filed into a new line by Tifa and the others.

Rinoa whispered something in an assistant's ear, and they whispered back the time, before she cleared her throat and addressed the daycare.

"Good day, my lovely citzens! I am your princess Rinoa, and I declare that we don't eat bread today. We eat cake! That is all." The cake-declaring Princess held her arm's out to Tifa, "Help me down, Mother! I want to talk to by baby sister, Princess Rhyme!"

Tifa blinked in surprise as the children laughed and cheered for cake. Did Rinoa just adopt her baby? And name the child? She reached up and the princess hopped into the daycare owner's waiting hands before being lowered to the ground.

Rinoa placed her hands on either side of Tifa's belly and pressed her face in close while the other children filed excitedly into the snack room to be seated, "Hello, Princess Rhyme! It's me, your big sister, Princess Rinoa! I just wanted you to know that even though today is my birthday, you can have some cake, but it's still my birthday so you can't have your birthday today!" The "big sister" planted a large kiss on Tifa's stomach while Tifa herself looked around awkwardly, unsure of what to do.

So she smiled down at the birthday girl, "That's very nice, Rinoa. So are you ready for cake, now?"

"Almost! First, I must address my prince!"

Tifa's brow furrowed. This will not end well.

The Princess inhaled loudly and shouted to her noisy subjects, but the decibel level of the group of cheeto and sugar-fed children was too high to overpower. The problem was soon fixed when one of Rinoa's attendants gave the girl a megaphone.

Several people covered their ears and everyone flinched when a deafening, "HEY! I NEED TO TALK TO MY PRINCE!" rang out across the room accompanied by high levels of feedback. Everyone glanced around the room for Squall, who seemed to have mysteriously disappeared, while the ringing in their ears subsided.

A moment later, a loud, "He's over here!" came from Seifer amongst the hubbub, and a strangled yelp accompanied by a few bangs announced Squall's displeasure at being dragged out from under a table. Seifer continued pulling Squall's ankle until the small boy was completely in the open. Tifa was sure Seifer was seconds away from ripping the smaller boy's sleeve off in an attempt to force him to stand up before she intervened and told the other boy to be nice. Seifer scowled and went back to eating his cake while Tifa tried to kneel to talk to Squall. That stupid dress wouldn't have it, so she tried to pick the young boy up, which didn't go well, either. One of Sora's brothers trotted over to help, and Tifa nodded in gratitude.

"Could you try to talk to him? I need to go and keep her highness busy," Tifa sighed.

The boy (Tifa couldn't tell by the face, but she thought this might be Roxas?) nodded and knelt down and began talking to Squall, who surprisingly didn't try to run away.

Roxas watched Tifa try and suck in her stomach to squeeze through a row of children. Auron and Freya took notice of the mother-to-be's plight and moved the other kids who were in her way. Tifa blushed and thanked them. Roxas huffed and turned back to Squall with his eyebrows raised sympathetically.

"Look," the blond started, "I know you really don't want to be the prince. I wouldn't, either. But the sooner you play along and do what that girl says, the sooner you can leave her alone and not be the prince anymore."

Squall looked up hopefully and Roxas nodded, a small smile lighting his features. The teen stood and placed his hand on Squall's shoulder, gently guiding him to his fate. Squall shrugged out from under Roxas' hand and slowly walked over to Rinoa, who held her arm out with her palm facing downward.

"You may hold my hand, dear prince," she said with a smile. Squall's face fell and Tifa tapped the princess on the shoulder. Where did Rinoa learn all these phrases? Rinoa looked up at her and Tifa was about to suggest simply standing next to Squall until the boy grasped the princess' hand firmly. Tifa blinked in surprise until she saw Squall's face.

The boy looked like he had mentally prepared to go through hell. What had Roxas said to make the toddler so resolute? Tifa shrugged it off and straightened while Rinoa whispered in her prince's ear. She kept an eye on the pair and took notice when Squall paled and started muttering quietly.

Rinoa shook her head fiercely, "No, no! You have to be louder so everyone can hear you! Herald, can you please blow your trumpet?"

The assistant shot a sorrowful glance at Squall before blowing his trumpet and quieting the room.

Squall kept his head low and gripped Rinoa's hand tighter, "U-uhm…Weah going to…stawt t-the jowsting a-afteh we eat…" he glanced up at Tifa, who nudged him along encouragingly, "C-could all the…the waw-wi-yahs…the fighteows…a-and the," his face screwed up from the effort to keep talking and not cry, "and the dwwragons p-pwease be pwepawed…?"

The group of kids excitedly started gabbering and inhaled the rest of their cake so they could get ready to joust, and Tifa noticed that Seifer honestly looked embarrassed for Squall. However, his buddy Snow stood up on his seat. "Speak up! We don't know what you're sayin'!"

Seifer yanked down his knight friend and Squall's lip quivered. Tifa came to the rescue. "Everyone go to the sparring ring—er, coliseum after you finish eating! There are weapons for all of you! And as for the mages, no real magic allowed," Tifa looked over at Lulu accusingly. "So no setting heads on fire."

Lulu nodded sheepishly while giving a side-eye to Wakka.

* * *

After Tifa and Rinoa ate with everyone else, each child went outside and was given a foam sword, staff, or other random weapon while all the non-fighters (mostly girls) sat on the side and watched excitedly with Rinoa and her… prince. The helpers began prepping the fighters to get started. Tifa felt her stomach rumble during the beginning of the games. She had just eaten! Why was she hungry again?

Since she didn't have her snack with her, she made her way back to the building to eat. Everyone was outside, so it was peaceful behind her desk. There, she munched happily on a cupcake that she snagged from the buffet. As she ate, she noticed that the door opened up.

A confused Cloud wandered in, ogling at the streamers and at Tifa's fancy get-up. "Um…" he muttered.

"It's Rinoa's birthday," she said.

"In that case, can I just have a piece of cake or something?" Cloud snickered.

Tifa smirked. "Only if you dress up," she bargained, pointing to the rack of remaining costumes. There had to be one specifically made for Tifa's spiky-headed king.

Cloud's iridescent eyes got one look at the ruffles and tights still on the rack and answered with a hasty, "No."

Tifa frowned. "Please dress up."

"No," he said, his voice cracking slightly.

She batted her eyes. "Pretty please? For the queen?" She pointed at the crown on her head.

"No."

She sighed and pointed firmly to the bathroom. "I'm pregnant. Bathroom. Now."

Cloud sighed and picked up one of the only adult-sized costumes left. It was frilly, and tights were included with the outfit. "But there're ruf-"

"I'm pregnant. Bathroom. Now," Tifa repeated.

Cloud finally gave in. "Fine, but don't expect me to be happy."

Tifa grabbed the King's crown from the prop table and handed it to him as he walked by, smiling widely. She watched him disappear into the bathroom and leaned back in her chair and finishing skimming through her computer for important e-mails. After finishing her cupcake (which had seemed to mysteriously multiply while Cloud was in the bathroom), she made a couple calls and walked out to see how the jousting was going and to set some things up.

Tifa kept an eye on Isa, Lea, Ventus, Aqua, Riku, Sora, and Xion while they kept an eye on the "jousters". It was basically a controlled version of the mutiny a couple months ago. She regularly glanced over her shoulder to see if the King would make an appearance or if she would have to drag him out by his cape. She looked back to the crowd just in time to see Vivi trip over his feet during his engagement with Wakka and fall face-first into the middle of a battle between Zidane, Beatrix, Golbez, Snow, and Petunia, just as the monkey had challenged Snow.

Snow puffed his chest out and readied his sword, "Come on, you nasty spy! You're no match for the hero, Sir Lama-something!"

Zidane laughed, already crouched low and pointing his foam blade at Sir Lamorak, "Oh, really? I spy with my little eye, you losing!" he charged the older boy with a battle cry and didn't notice Vivi lying in his way until it was too late. He got a panicked look on his face and jumped like only a monkey can, but his foot caught Vivi's back and Zidane went sprawling.

Desperate not to eat dirt or crash into Snow, the boy flailed his arms for the nearest thing to catch himself…which just happened to be the waistline of Isa's khakis.

The blue-haired teen yelped and grabbed at his belt, but not before his pants had been yanked down to his knees, revealing a pristine pair of white and blue boxer-briefs underneath. Lea looked over at the commotion and immediately burst into irrepressible laughter, which attracted everyone else's attention, which in turn caused them to laugh. It seemed as though the only ones unamused were Rinoa and Isa. Lea was literally curled up into a ball and crying, which wasn't helping any.

Tifa's hand flew to her mouth, but she couldn't stop a snort from escaping as she watched Isa fumble, red-faced, to get his belt cinched back tight. Zidane had tried his hardest to not laugh, but he was in much the same position as Lea.

After Isa had sufficiently made sure his pants were staying up, he walked calmly over to Tifa and asked over the laughter, "Excuse me, Mrs. Strife. Would it be okay if I stayed inside for a bit?" The poor kid couldn't look her in the eye.

Tifa nodded, "O-of course," she cleared her throat and wiped the smile from her face, "That's completely fine. Would you mind checking to see if my husband is still in the bathroom, though? He got here a while ago and I haven't seen him since."

Isa nodded, "Yes, ma-am."

Tifa smiled, "Thank you!"

* * *

After Isa had made a hasty retreat from the still-laughing crowd (Lea would never let him live this down), he wandered around looking for Mr. Strife. Why did Mrs. Strife want Isa to check the bathroom, though?

The teen suspiciously knocked on the men's bathroom door and heard a depressed "Just a minute," come through from the other side. Why had he been in the bathroom for so long?

Not wanting to say anything, Isa wandered a bit down the hall. Only when Mr. Strife emerged did Isa completely understand why the man had been in the bathroom for so long.

He had definitely been hiding. Or contemplating how angry Mrs. Strife would be if he left, and if it was worth it.

* * *

Cloud flinched when he heard someone knock on the bathroom door. He had been in there a while, hadn't he?

"Just a minute…" he sighed. He looked in the mirror at himself one last time and cringed. He had never worn this many ruffles in his life (yes, even including the dress).

He sighed and pulled his tunic as low over his tights as he could and braced himself for the worst before grabbing his crown and opening the bathroom door. A blue-haired teenager stood a few paces away, and his eyes widened when he saw Cloud's…colorful costume. The blonde's ears burned bright hot. He grabbed the cape attached to his shoulders and discretely tried to cover his crotch more sufficiently then tights, some puffy (short) shorts, and a tunic could manage.

After a beat, "I'm guessing you're Mr. Strife?" the boy asked.

Cloud sighed.

"Ah," the teen scratched his neck awkwardly, "I'm Isa. Mrs. Strife told me to come and get you…"

Cloud blinked slowly, "I'm sure." He straightened as much as he dared (curse this short tunic) and gestured for Isa to go on ahead, "You can go if you want."

Isa nodded and went to sit in the main entrance while Cloud made his way out to the back. Before he was out of eyeshot of the entrance, though, Cloud heard the door open, and you had never seen a man move so quickly as Cloud did at that instant. All Zack and Aerith saw upon walking in was the hint of a cape whipping around a corner. The pair glanced at each other and smiled before greeting Isa and making their way to the bathrooms after Zack grabbed a costume.

* * *

Tifa glanced over her shoulder again, starting to grow impatient with Cloud, and smiled when she saw her king peeking out from the hallway. He met her gaze and sadly mouthed "Please." Tifa wiggled her finger and beckoned him over before telling Rinoa that the king was here.

The girl's face broke into a huge smile, "Yay! Father's here! Herald! Herald! Toot your trumpet to say he's here!" Rinoa cheered. Tifa laughed. Oh, jeez, Cloud was already a retiring guy. He would _love_ being announced with a fanfare.

The assistant Rinoa commanded got the attention of the other heralds and explained the new reason for noise. They nodded and got into their designated places and blew their long fanfare loudly. The jousting battle slowly ground still as all the kids turned to see the new development.

"Announcing his royal highness, King Strife!"

Tifa covered her mouth and looked over her shoulder at her horrified husband. Cloud's mouth gaped open and his mako-blue eyes were the size of dinner plates. He stood there for a moment before he began to retreat further into the building until he bumped into someone.

Everyone was muttering and craning their necks to see what was taking so long for the king to come out, and Rinoa looked like she was starting to get upset.

The sound of a scuffle and Cloud's aggravated voice floated outside, and Tifa smiled as Zack shoved the unwilling king outside and forced the crown down on his spikes. Aerith followed, covering soft giggles behind a hand.

Everyone broke into laughter when Cloud still tried to leave and Zack picked the smaller man up and tossed him into the throne between to Tifa and Rinoa. There was an empty throne next to Rinoa meant for Squall, but the prince had been instructed to go joust.

Zack stood tall with one arm behind his back and the other in the air before bowing extravagantly, the jester hat he had brought with him jingling loudly, "The King has arrived!"

Cloud leaned against his arm and kept his face turned away from the crowd staring at him, "Seriously, Zack?!"

Zack straightened and fixed his costume. Seeing as its size had been guestimated towards Cloud, the ravenette had had trouble fitting into it. At least, judging by the run going up the side of his tights and the, uh…slightly less fabric to cover what Cloud could barely cover.

Rinoa tapped Cloud's elbow and he looked wearily over at the cause of this mess.

"Father, kings can't slouch!" she informed adamantly, "You're have to sit up and look important! Like this!" Rinoa readjusted herself in her seat and sat tall with her hands clasped in her lap.

Cloud raised an eyebrow and muttered quietly to the little girl, "But why is the king getting a lecture from the princess? Can't kings do what they want?" He continued to slouch.

Rinoa blinked in surprise at Cloud's response, "Uhm…" she wracked her brain for everything her fairytales had taught her about kings, "Maybe?"

Cloud gave a half half-hearted smile and turned to scowl at Tifa, who blinked innocently and folded her hands in her lap, imitating Rinoa's posture.

Aerith came and patted Zack on the arm before addressing Cloud with one of her plentiful smiles, "Oh, don't be mad, Cloud. The puppy's only playing."

"Woof." Zack gave Aerith a quick kiss before going and "keeping the kids busy". It was not hard to see when he became as serious about the game of tag that he started as everyone 15 or more years his junior. Aerith kept an eye on her fiancé to make sure his costume stayed in line, playing with the ribbons on her sleeves absent-mindedly.

"So what role are you playing?" Tifa asked from her seat on the throne. Rinoa had left her throne to find and drag Squall with her to go play, so it was only the 3 adults at the thrones for the moment.

"I'm a flower seller, of course," Aerith smiled and gestured to her hand-made flower crown. It went nicely with the pastel costume the flower girl had fashioned out of a long pink skirt and one of Zack's old, white, long-sleeve shirts (sleeves cut open and re-tied with ribbon and various other minor alterations made to make the baggy top resemble a tunic).

"Haha, what else could you be?"

Squall separated himself from Rinoa and started walking towards the daycare building, but the princess quickly caught up with him.

"Where are you going?" she demanded "The prince and princess have to stay together!"

Squall blushed and shook his head. Rinoa's cheeks puffed up and Tifa hurried over to see what the problem was.

"Rinoa, Squall? What's wrong?"

Rinoa pointed accusingly at the slightly older boy next to her, "The prince and princess have to stay together!" she repeated.

To which Squall shook his head fiercely.

Tifa motioned for both kids to come back to the throne area since she couldn't kneel down. When she checked over her shoulder, Rinoa was tailing right behind the train on Tifa's dress, but Squall was very stiffly scuffing his feet along the ground, his thighs stuck tight together. Ohhh. Tifa explained quickly to Rinoa that Squall had to go take care of a special errand that only the Prince can do, before turning back and scooping the small boy up and rushing him to the boy's bathroom.

Squall bounced and whined on the counter while Tifa struggled with the multiple belts and sword sheath on his fancy costume. When she was done and had set him on the ground, he ran into the small bathroom stall and gave a firm, "Go away."

Tifa complied and waited in the hall to re-clip his belts and sword, extremely grateful that she had nimble fingers.

After the kids finished playing outside, everyone started wandering in and out of the daycare. Some of the kids went and laid down for naps on their own accord, and Sora, Kairi, Namine, and Ventus picked out the kids who were tired, but too stubborn to go to bed by themselves, and laid them down with the others.

After a couple more hours of play and role-playing, and a few dirty Pull-Ups and underwear from the kids who weren't quite toilet-trained yet (Tidus had somehow managed to go through 3 pairs of Pull-Ups), parents started to arrive to pick up their children. And it was about time. Everyone not under the age of 8 was exhausted. As per the usual, Mrs. Harvey was among the first to come and get her tired kids. Then Matron Edea, followed by Mrs. Dincht, and the list goes on. However, today was the first day that Tifa had actually seen Rinoa's parents.

The couple walked in and Mrs. Carraway gasped, "Oh, wow! I didn't know everything would look so nice!" she turned to Tifa and smiled warmly, "Thank you so much for letting us turn your building into a pink palace. I can assure you that we will have anything you don't want to keep taken down within the next few days. And of course, we're going to pay you extra for making our little girl feel so special today."

Tifa smiled, "That's very kind of you. Thank you."

"Mommy! Daddy! You came!" Rinoa came sprinting into the entryway and tackle-hugged her mother's legs before being picked up.

"Hello, sweetie! Did you have a good birthday?"

Rinoa nodded, "Yeah! Everyone was super nice! We had a unicorn and a bunch of dragons, and a bunch of knights! But one of the spies pulled down another boy's pants. But my prince was super nice, too! Even though he can't talk good! His name is Squall! Oh! Hold on!" she wiggled out of her mother's grip and ran down the hallway. When she returned, she had a groggy and reluctant Squall (dressed once again in his t-shirt and shorts from that morning) in tow.

"This is Squall!" she chirped happily.

Squall stared at the ground and dug a fist into his eye.

Rinoa poked his shoulder, "Say hello."

He waved shyly and slowly ducked behind Tifa's skirt. Tifa smoothed his hair, "It's okay, Squall." She turned back to the Carraways, "I'm afraid he's rather shy. Please don't misunderstand."

Mr. Carraway laughed, "Of course not! Come now, Rinoa. It's time to go home, honey."

"Okaay! Bye-bye!" Rinoa waved to everyone in the daycare and trotted up to stand between her parents, grasping both of their hands eagerly.

As soon as the trio and their entourage of assistants had left (except for the ones left to clean up), Squall left Tifa's side and tottered back to the nap room where he curled back up in his blanket and fell right back asleep.

When the kid count dropped below 20, Tifa called her helpers and said that most of them could go home if they wanted to, or they could stay and snack on leftover party food, she didn't mind either way.

Lea yawned loudly and punched Isa in the shoulder, "You wanna get out o' here, tidy-whitey?"

Isa shot Lea a look and gave Tifa a small bow, "Thank you for allowing us to leave early, Mrs. Strife."

Tifa nodded, "Of course. Everyone's exhausted, I can tell," she smiled over at Sora just as he drooped onto Roxas, who shoved the brunette onto Ventus, who shoved him back. Roxas pushed him into Riku, who smacked the back of Sora's head.

Sora jumped awake with a loud, "I'm sorry I was late for dinner, Mom!"

Roxas and Ventus snickered with the rest of Sora's friends. Sora blinked sleepily. "Huh?"

Ventus smiled at Tifa, "You're sure you don't mind if we head home?"

"I wouldn't tell you you could leave if you couldn't."

Ventus nodded and called their mom before going back to the food table with his brothers and Riku. Kairi and her sisters decided to stay for a little bit longer, but informed Tifa that they needed to be home before 5 because their grandmother was having dinner with them and she always liked to come over early.

* * *

After Auron and Lulu were picked up, Sora, Ventus, and Roxas' mom showed up and a boy who looked almost exactly like Sora opened the back door of the SUV.

"Come on. Mom has errands she needs to run," the black-haired kid called.

Ventus ran towards the car, "Coming!"

Sora clambered into the back of the car after Ventus and crawled into the back seat, his large feet kicking his two brothers. Ventus shouted a "Watch it!" and the darker haired boy growled. Ventus laughed when his brother pushed Sora's feet into the back and Sora fell clumsily into the rear of the truck.

Roxas stood at the open door, "Vanitas, move to the back so I can get in."

Vanitas glowered at Roxas, "No! I was here first, Ventus can get in the back or you can. Don't either of you dare kick me." He shot a look at Sora who grinned and shrugged.

Ventus frowned, "I got here before Roxas! He sits in the back!"

Roxas scowled and started arguing with his brothers.

"Boys, it doesn't matter who sits in the back," their mother hollered impatiently over the argument, "Roxas, you sit up here with me if you're going to cause trouble."

Roxas sneered at Vanitas before climbing into shotgun and buckling up.

Vanitas scowled and crossed his arms. Sora reached over the seat and flicked Ventus and Vanitas in the backs of their heads before looking out the window when his brothers turned back to glare at him. Vanitas closed his door and the rowdy truck pulled away.

Tifa huffed a laugh. It's amazing how a little junk food wakes teenagers up.

Kadaj sprinted into the front room and hollered, "Mother! Mother!"

Liza's silver Cadillac pulled into the parking lot and the pale woman got out, waving in at her bouncing son before opening the door.

Kadaj glomped his arms around his mother's knees and started crying, "I thought you weren't coming back!"

Liza rolled her eyes, "Oh hush. You know I wouldn't leave you three, Kadaj." She picked her son up and planted little kisses all over his face. Kadaj giggled and leaned into Liza happily.

Loz and Yazoo both ran into the entryway, only a little less ecstatic to see their mother than their brother was. Liza knelt down and kissed both of her other boys before walking over and signing them out. She glanced at Tifa and started slowly, "So have you given any thought about wanting to learn more about our Goddess and savior, Jenova?"

Tifa shook her head, "I'm afraid I'm going to remain a member of the Lifestream church. You see, I'm actually friends with someone very important to the church."

"Oh? And who is that?"

Tifa called into the back of the building, "Aerith! There's someone here who wants to meet you!"

Liza blinked confusedly when Tifa mentioned Aerith, "Aerith? I had heard she passed away several years ago?"

Tifa nodded understandingly, "We thought she was dead ourselves until just about a year or two ago. My husband, Cloud, was on a delivery trip to some place quite far from here called Traverse Town. Imagine his surprise when he gets to Leon's house, he's one of Cloud's friends, and Aerith opens the door!"

"I nearly dropped dead on the spot, myself," Cloud huffed as he walked into the room with Zack and Aerith (Cloud had gotten out of that "Gaia-forsaken" costume as quickly as possible, and Zack had also changed back into normal clothes).

Aerith giggled and extended her hand to Liza, "You must be Liza? Your boys are so well-behaved!" she smiled "I'm Aerith."

Liza took Aerith's hand and shook it. She smiled, "Oh, wow, it really is you! I'm glad to see that you're well!"

Aerith smiled, "Yup! Fit as a fiddle! Is this why you wanted to meet me?"

Liza laughed, "I guess so. It's not every day you find out that someone's come back to life!" she looked down at her watch when Yazoo pulled on her skirt, and called Loz back from the playroom, "Loz! Come here, it's time to go! We have to go meet Daddy back at the house!" she turned back to the group of Tifa, Cloud, Zack, and Aerith, "Sorry to cut this short, but Yazoo gets upset if we don't get home before Daddy does. We'll be back at the same time tomorrow, and hopefully Kadaj will behave a little better, huh?" she poked the boy's cheek and he giggled. Loz re-emerged from the playroom and grabbed Liza's skirt since Yazoo was taking her free hand.

As soon as the woman left, Cloud, Tifa, and Zack's smiles faltered. They looked back at Aerith, who shook her head.

"Don't judge her just because she and her sons look a little like Sephiroth. I didn't get any bad feelings about her, and I'd say I'm a pretty good judge of character. And besides. Even if she does end up knowing him, I have two big guys always nearby to keep him from hurting any of us!" Aerith smiled reasurringly.

Zack sighed and shook his head. He looked back up at Aerith with a smile, "Well, okay. But if mama silver starts actin' funny, you can be sure you're going to be constantly guarded."

"Like I'm not, already!" Aerith laughed, "Do you ever leave my side, Zack?"

"I do when I pi-"

"Zack." Tifa gestured to the kids' rooms.

"-iee. When I eat pie."

Aerith giggled and yawned. "Well? You ready to go home, Zack? Are you alright if we leave, Tifa?"

Tifa nodded, "I'll be fine. You two just be careful on your way home."

"Yup!" Zack gave a thumbs-up and draped his arm around Aerith's shoulders before turning and leaving, "You two play nice with the kiddies! Bye, Teef, bye Spike! BYE AQUA!"

Tifa heard Aqua laugh from the back and holler, "Bye, Zack!"

When Tidus was the only one left to be picked up (he was suspiciously better at remembering to use the potty when there wasn't a bunch of excitement around him), Tifa and Cloud sat in the entrance and kept him busy. Tifa had changed back into Cloud's pants and her watermelon shirt several hours ago, and was feeling much more comfortable, even with her baby kicking her out the wazoo. Tifa figured that the cause was all of the sugar she had eaten that day, but she was starting to get sore. The baby was kicking her lower left side over, and over, and over…

Cloud noticed her discomfort and gave her a worried glance, "You okay?"

"Yeah. Little Strife is just going to town, though. Come here." Cloud walked closer and stuck Tidus up on his shoulders before putting his hand in Tifa's. She pressed his fingers into the spot and Cloud blinked when he felt a firm nudge against his hand, followed soon by two more kicks. Tifa smiled at his expression.

"Wow…" Cloud looked at Tifa, and he broke into a smile, "Sorry you're uncomfortable, but that's…amazing. Really weird, but amazing."

"I'm glad you appreciate what I go through to make you a father."

Cloud looked away sheepishly. Tidus smacked him in the eye, "Lemme see!"

"Ow! Jeez!" Cloud got the toddler off his shoulders and passed him to Tifa before rubbing a hand across his hit eye, "I think he knocked an eyelash in…"

Tifa laughed, "Show me."

Cloud struggled to open his eye, so Tifa pulled his bottom lid down while holding his top lid in place with another finger. "I don't see anything. Just go to the bathroom."

"Yeah…" Cloud squeezed his one eye shut and walked to the bathroom. Tifa looked at Tidus.

"That wasn't very nice. I need you to apologize to Cloud when he gets back, okay?"

Tidus blinked innocently, "I wanna see."

"That's fine, but you need to promise to apologize to Cloud first."

"Okay, Teefie."

Tifa put Tidus down and knelt so she could let him feel the baby. The boy kept his concentrating face on until Cloud emerged from the bathroom a minute later, "Got it," he announced, holding the offending hair on his fingertip. He flicked it off and walked over to the pair.

"Your tummy moves a lot," Tidus finally concluded as he stepped away from Tifa's belly. He looked up at Cloud, "Sorry, Croud."

Cloud shrugged, "It's okay. Just don't hit me again."

Aqua approached the trio, finally out of her costume, and sighed happily. "Most everything's back where it was this morning."

Tifa smiled and kept Tidus from grabbing a fistful of her growing hair (She only realized how much she liked having long hair after she cut most of it off, unfortunately), "That's great! Thanks so much, Aqua! Where did the Carraway's team put the extra props?"

Aqua gestured over her shoulder, "Still in the throne, er, playroom, but against the far wall."

Tifa nodded, "And we're only keeping the thrones, table centerpieces and skirts, and the balcony?" All of those things could be re-used easily. The large props could be painted and used for indoor play, and the centerpieces could be used for other girls' birthdays. Of course, Tifa would have to get something similar for the boys or there would be an outburst.

"Yes, ma'am," Aqua smiled at Tidus, who was nodding off with his fist in his mouth, "You tired, sweetie? It's been a long day, hasn't it?" she took his small hand in her own and swung it slowly.

Tidus opened his eyes halfway and dropped his head onto Tifa's chest, resulting in a wince from the woman, before jerking his head back up and sucking loudly on his fist. Tifa ignored the drool on her shirt, "No kidding. Today was crazy. If everything's in order for tomorrow, you can go ahead and head home."

"You sure, Tifa?"

Tifa nodded, "One of Sora's brothers- I think Ventus? –asked the same thing. To which I repeat, I wouldn't have offered for you to leave if you couldn't."

Aqua chuckled, "Okay. See you Sunday, Tifa."

Tidus' mother arrived shortly after Aqua left and took her sleeping boy home.

Tifa and Cloud wasted no time closing the daycare down and going home themselves. They ate and Tifa immediately crashed on the couch and fell asleep. Cloud looked softly at her and went to get a blanket and some pillows for them before yawning and flopping down in the armchair with a pillow and blanket of his own and falling into immediate sleep.


	5. Month 5

Sorry I've been away for so long! I've been trying to work on my dialogue-to-description ratio and I have tried my best to apply that to this installment of Tifa's Daycare. It's also a pretty long chapter, but I will hopefully have another chapter soon! Enjoy!

* * *

Tifa pulled her unruly hair into a loose bun and strapped it in place before pulling her "Buns in the Oven" shirt over her head (this pregnancy shirt was yet another gift from her husband and his friend). She put on a little lipgloss and called, "Cloud, I'm heading out!"

She was answered with silence.

"You aren't still sleeping, are you?" Tifa turned away from the bathroom mirror and looked across the hall into her and Cloud's bedroom. Cloud was curled up under the covers, his un-tamed spikes creating a small imitation of a firework on the pillow. Tifa glanced at the clock. His first deliveries were in about half an hour.

She sighed and strode over to the bed and shook her husband's shoulder. "Cloud, wake up. You have work soon." Tifa's thoughts returned to Cloud's behavior the previous evening. He had been much more quiet than usual, and the only times he spoke was to complain of how bad he felt. Tifa had brushed it off as just a cold, but maybe he was actually sick? She wasn't afraid of anything he might come down with (his previous run-ins with Mako poisoning and Geostigma leaving her prepared for any normal bug), but if he was ill enough to complain and sleep in, then he might need more than some TLC.

Cloud finally woke and partly rolled over to look at Tifa out of one bloodshot half-closed eye.

Tifa smiled at him, "You awake? Do you want me to get you something?"

He blinked sleepily and his eye closed.

"Cloud."

The eye cracked open again and Cloud pushed himself into a sitting position and rubbed his face.

"Want me to get you some coffee?" Tifa straightened and tried to pull Cloud into a standing position. When she grabbed his hand, she noted that it was a bit clammy.

He withdrew his hands, stood, and shivered before grabbing the comforter from the bed and stumbling downstairs into the living room, where he fell onto the couch with a loud 'whumph'.

"Hm." Tifa frowned and followed him, "What's wrong?"

"…"

Hands went to hips, "Cloud, what's wrong?"

He opened an eye again and stared at Tifa. "…"

"Why aren't you talking to me? Did I do something to tick you off?"

"…"

"Are you sick?"

"…"

"How sick are you?"

"…"

Tifa's lips grew into a thin line and her brow furrowed. She called Aerith. The phone rang a few times before the phone was answered and Zack chuckled, "Hello?"

"Zack, give me the phone!" Aerith was heard from the background, doubtlessly held at arms length by her tall fiancé.

"Cloud isn't talking to me." Tifa stated, more than a hint of annoyance and worry reaching through to the other end.

Zack paused, "Why not? I'm putting you on speaker."

There was another small pause, then Aerith piped up, louder than before, "What happened?"

Tifa shrugged exasperatedly, "I don't know. I'm pretty sure he's sick. He hasn't said a word to me since he woke up. I'm in the room with him right now, and he isn't even reacting to us talking about him." She looked over to the couch that held her once again sleeping husband. Was he sleeping? Tifa peered closer and saw his blue eyes glowing dimly in the dark room. "Hold on…" she turned on the light with a resulting flinch from Cloud, then walked over and set the phone on the armrest. "Cloud, talk to me. Are you sick?"

Cloud opened his lackluster eyes slowly and stared blankly at Tifa. She sighed and moved his messy bangs to kiss his forehead.

"Hello? So what's up?" Zack piped up.

Tifa straightened with a frown, "He's clammy and has a good fever. I'm going to try and get some water in him and call the clinic before whatever he caught gets worse." She went to the kitchen to get an ice pack and a cup of water. "And I'll have to call Aqua and let her know I'm going to be late. Can one of you call and let Leon know that Cloud's staying home today?" Tifa stuck the phone in her breast pocket before picking up the ice pack, water, thermometer, and Tylenol and heading back to the living room. When she arrived, Cloud had discarded the blanket and was clumsily trying to remove his t-shirt without having to sit up.

Aerith's slightly-worried voice piped through the phone, "Zack's calling Leon, Tifa. Do you want me to call Aqua?"

"Yeah, thanks Aerith. I'll call you later, okay?"

"Let me know if he gets worse or if you start feeling bad. I'll come over in a bit to see if I can help. I'm sure Zack would-"

"Thanks, Aerith. But I don't want to inconvenience you. I'll definitely call if something happens, but don't worry. He probably just got a bad cold or something. I'll call you later, 'kay?"

Aerith sighed, "Okay, fine. I hope that's all it is. See you later."

"Bye, Aerith!" they disconnected and Tifa called the clinic to make an appointment for Cloud that evening. Looking back at him, he had tipped a bit of the water into his mouth, but was having difficulty swallowing. He tried to force it down but ended up coughing it back into his hand. After the ragged coughs ripped out of him, his face screwed up in pain and he held his throat lightly. "Hh…" the raspy whisper was more than enough to explain his watering eyes.

Tifa's brow furrowed. She tapped Cloud's chin, "Open."

He did as ordered and propped himself up on his elbows before opening his mouth as wide as was comfortable. Tifa couldn't really see well without a flashlight, but the back of his throat was obviously a violent shade of crimson, and his tonsils looked like they might be swollen. "Hm," she frowned, "Hold on. I'm going to get a flashlight."

Cloud nodded slightly and lay back down with a quiet sigh.

Tifa put the icepack on the back of his neck, resulting in immediate goosebumps and a shiver, before she went and washed her hands and got a small flashlight from the laundry room. While she was there, she went ahead and got a couple of facemasks. She drummed her fingers on her belly in thought before taking a general "this takes care of the small stuff" antibiotic for herself and returning with her mask in place.

"Open."

He propped himself back up and opened his mouth. The ice pack fell to the couch.

Tifa tried to shine the light on the back of his throat and was only marginally successful. "Stick your tongue out?"

He tried, but only managed to stick it out about a centimeter, although that did cause him to open his mouth a bit wider. Tifa shone the flashlight and grimaced. Ew, what was all over his tonsils? His tongue was dry and there were red spots starting at the roof of his mouth and going all the way back and down his throat, his tonsils were also inflamed angrily and were coated with mucus or something. He closed his mouth and lay once more and rubbed at his throat.

"Can you take some Tylenol?"

He continued to lay on the couch in silence.

"Can you try?"

"…"

"Here, try. I'll go get some more ice."

As Tifa bounced around the house taking care of Cloud, she checked her watch periodically and frowned when she knew Tidus was at the daycare by now. Then later, when she knew he was accompanied by a couple of the others. She went back to the living room and sat on her knees, "Cloud, honey." He cracked an eyelid. "I have to go to First Fantasy. I'm already late, and I don't want the kids getting upset. Will you text me if you start feeling worse?"

Cloud closed his eye and Tifa went upstairs to grab his phone. He grasped it in his hand and waved a small goodbye when she came downstairs and placed it next to him.

When Tifa finally got to First Fantasy and saw that she had a text, she sighed. "Already?" She flipped open the message and broke into a smile.

Cloud had sent a bad picture of himself still lying on the couch and wearing the mask Tifa had left for him. Only now he had the blanket back on. 'Thank you' was typed underneath the image. She sent a kiss emoticon back and shut her phone as Zell and Tidus came sprinting towards her, yelling "Mama!" and "Teefie!" respectively. A handful of other children made an appearance afterward.

"Where were you, Ms. Tifa?" Light asked, a worn-out copy of Eragon clutched in his thin arms.

Tifa patted Zell and Tidus on the heads from where they clung to her legs, "My husband was sick this morning, so I had to take care of him a little bit.

Eliha's eyes grew wide, "Is Cloud gonna die?!" she turned frantically to Petunia with tears brewing, "Xephie, Cloud's dying!"

"Ehila, don't worry," Tifa assured, "He's not dying, he's just sick. Now you all run along so I can get my work done, okay?"

Most of the children complied and left and Aqua came up front to get her boss caught up on everything that'd happened thus far today before going back to check on Sora, Riku, Kairi, and Ventus (Sora's brother had discovered that rather liked playing with the children, so he had started working shortly after Rinoa's birthday). Tifa ignored the two giggling boys still shackled to her ankles and trudged her feet over to her computer and sat down to check her payments. Everything seemed to be up to date and normal; she had gotten her monthly fee from everyone except Tidus' parents…again. Really, Tifa had no reason to allow the child to stay, except Tidus came in _so_ often with something wrong. Either he hadn't eaten breakfast yet, or hadn't been bathed the night (or three) before, or his clothes were out of line, or something other of the sort. He had even come in once with a scraped-up knee and foot (without a sock or shoe) that his mother hadn't seemed to notice. To be frank, Tifa didn't trust Tidus' parents to take care of him, so it fell on her to make sure he got some of the attention he needed. That's probably why he was always so clingy.

Tifa sent another email notification to Mr. and Mrs. Zuzela to give another empty warning that Tidus would not be able to continue attending the daycare without pay. Which would be answered with Mrs. Zuzela's equally empty response that "As soon as Jecht got contracted for the Zanarkand Abes," they would immediately pay for Tidus' daycare. She scrolled through her emails a bit more to learn that Adelbert would be out of town for the next few days to go to his great-grandmother's funeral, Bartz had fractured his leg falling off a building while playing hide-and-seek and would be staying home for the next two days, and that the mother of a boy named Kefka wanted Tifa to watch him for a little while today.

Tifa dug around in the backpack she carted between the daycare and home and pulled out a large bag of granola bars, sweets, and a jar of pickles. She made the boys let go and put everything except the pickles in a drawer in her desk and placed her jar of Vlasic dill in the top of the fridge. She closed the fridge, re-opened it, forced open the jar, and sat back at her desk with it next to her. Zell placed his hands on Tifa's knees and tried to climb up. Tidus, not wanting to be ignored, moved in front of the other boy and clambered up to sit in her lap first, much to Zell's displeasure.

Tifa sighed. "Tidus, you need to get down, I'm working." She moved her chair back and set Tidus down next to an angry Zell, who squawked at Tidus and shoved him. Tifa held both toddlers apart before a fight could break out and stood as her phone sang the arrival of a text message. She heaved both boys up onto her hips and went to the back to set them loose so she could finish up her computer work without a pair of wriggly boys.

She returned to her desk and checked her phone. It was Cloud. This time was a picture of him in the mirror leaning miserably against the counter in the bathroom and sticking his tongue out in a "blegh" face. His cheek was leaning heavily against his palm and the flash from the camera obscured the top of his bed-head. Tifa smiled and laughed a bit before saving the image and texting him back.

'Don't be such a baby, baby'

She sent the message and got a reply a moment later.

'xp'

'I gotta go. Kids'

'k'

Another text from Cloud arrived.

'im bored'

Tifa laughed softly to herself and typed back, 'Aww. I really have to go, though'

'k'

'Did you take any tylenol?'

'I tried'

Tifa closed her phone and stuck it in her pocket, wondering when Cloud would talk to her next.

Tifa was almost done checking her inbox when a disheveled woman pulling a six-year-old on what appeared to be a leash connected to a moogle backpack trudged in. The woman yanked on the leash when the pale, thin child latched onto the door with a cruel smirk. "Kefka, come on," she said tiredly. "You won't be here for long."

Tifa looked up. "You must be Ms. Palazzo," she said.

The woman tugged the leash again and Kefka dashed in, but made a sharp turn to the playroom knowing that it would jolt his mother uncomfortably. Her arm was nearly pulled out of place when Kefka's feet "slid" out from underneath him and he flopped to the floor in hoots of laughter.

"You can let him off," Tifa told Ms. Palazzo. The daycare owner was a bit nervous about this unruly kid, but she'd handled the Emerald and _Ruby_ WEAPONs. The child wouldn't be too difficult compared to _that_.

The woman gave Tifa a sigh of relief and unlatched the kid who made a beeline for the playroom, giggling as he went.

Once Kefka was gone, the woman nearly threw herself over the counter, causing Tifa to lean back quickly. She moved her pickle jar away from the edge of the table. "I am _so_ sorry for the short notice," Mrs. Palazzo breathed. "I'll be gone for just four hours. I just need someone to watch him…"

Tifa noticed that Kefka didn't look like Ms. Palazzo and she didn't seem to enjoy him much. "Oh, well… your son shouldn't—"

"I'm his aunt," Ms. Palazzo corrected without hesitation. "My sister couldn't take care of him."

Well! She was very forward.

"Don't worry about him," Tifa assured.

Ms. Palazzo shook her head, causing her already messy, brown bun to release a few hairs into her sleep-deprived face. "Yes, worry about him," she retorted. "Every daycare, nanny, and even the best of babysitters won't reply to my calls. They refuse to take care of him." She leaned forward, her large eyes desperate. "You're my only hope, Mrs. Strife. _I will pay you extra_."

Tifa blinked. Today was going to be one of those days, wasn't it?

Ms. Palazzo suddenly stood up straight when the front door's bell tinkled. A young woman cradling a beautiful young girl (who might have been too old to be cradled but was still small enough) waltzed into the daycare. "Hello, Tifa," the nearly albino woman greeted. She was the opposite of Ms. Palazzo; this woman was healthy, happy, and seemed fond of her child.

But how did she know Tifa's name? Tifa had never gotten any email from anyone new other than Ms. Palazzo.

"Um, hello," Tifa replied. "Who are you?"

The woman set her child on the counter. That's whenever Tifa got a closer look and realized that this child was actually a boy. "I am Serendipity," she greeted with an innocent smile. "I would like you to watch my little Kuja today."

Ms. Palazzo glanced quickly at… Serendipity… and then turned to Tifa. "I'll be back at three," she declared. She marched to the door and turned back. "Please… you're my only hope," she repeated before leaving.

Tifa blinked, a bit nervous from that cryptic warning, and then turned back to the small woman with her equally small gir—no, boy. "Okay," she said. "Anything I should know about he—him?"

Kuja scowled, catching onto what Tifa was about to say. Serendipity didn't seem to notice, though. "He's very sensitive," she explained. "And he can't be out in the sun for too long. I have sunscreen…" she reached into her bag, pulled out the bottle of SPF 300, and set it on the counter.

"I'll be okay, mother," Kuja assured.

Serendipity smiled and cuddled Kuja close to her before lowering him from the desk and turning back to Tifa just as a high shriek erupted from the craft room, accompanied by a cackling giggle. Tifa pursed her lips and closed her eyes. Kefka? She turned to see Aqua dash into the playroom, where more kids were now yelling. Kuja frowned and looked up at his mother. 'Are you really leaving me here?' was plainly written on his face.

"Oh, my…" Serendipity breathed. She looked down at Kuja, "You might want to stay away from Kefka…" The pale woman knelt down and gave her son a kiss on the cheek before standing and smoothing his white hair, "I will be back at 4 o'clock, okay my baby Kuja?"

Kuja smiled up at Serendipity, "Yes, mother. I will be waiting."

Serendipity gave Kuja one last hug and kiss before bidding Tifa farewell and gliding out of the building.

Today was definitely going to be one of those days.

Tifa stood and offered her hand to Kuja (she was rejected) before she rushed to the somewhat calmed craft room with the little beauty trailing behind her. Kefka and Zidane were snickering together in the time-out corner while Terra was crying and hiding behind Aqua, who was consoling the green-haired girl. The team of Sora, Ventus, and Kairi were calming down a handful of angry boys. Once Auron caught sight of Tifa, he trotted over with a scowl set in place.

"That new kid pulled Terra's hair out!" he tattled angrily and pointed at Kefka. Kefka responded by pulling one eye down and waggling his tongue with a taunt and sneer.

Tifa nodded and told Auron not to point before going and checking on Terra, dispersing the group of boys, and going over to the causes of this mess. Kefka pointed at Zidane, grin never leaving his features.

"It was his idea!"

Zidane gawked, "Hey!"

Tifa's scowl deepened slightly. "Boys, hush." She knelt down to look them both in the eye, "Kefka, can you tell me why you pulled Terra's hair?"

"Because it goes BOI-"

"Not now, Zidane. I'm asking Kefka." Zidane crossed his arms and scowled while Kefka laughed at him. "Kefka," Tifa started again, "Why did you pull Terra's hair?"

"Because I FELT like it!" he smiled massively then pouted and tapped the tip of his finger against his lip innocently, "I didn't _mean_ to hurt her, Miss…"

"You can call me Miss Tifa, Kefka. And don't let me hear about you bullying anyone-"

The pale boy put a hand on his chest and gasped dramatically. "BULLYING?! I wasn't bullying her!"

Tifa didn't buy it. Obviously. She crossed her arms and looked down at the pouting Kefka and snickering Zidane. If only this were a Jenova's Witness daycare; then she would be able to swat them. But since it wasn't, she just sighed. "15 minutes timeout," she said sternly. "And when time's up, I don't want either of you causing anymore mischief."

Kefka beamed up at her. "Don't worry! We won't pull any more hair!" he declared.

He might not do that…

Tifa went back to the craft room to check on Terra (who now had a small red bald spot). After consoling the four-year-old, Tifa's phone buzzed. When she checked it, she saw that it was another picture from Cloud. He had a lump of the peach ice cream that Tifa had gotten for herself earlier that week resting on his tongue. He had a pouty face and puppy-dog eyes.

'I cant swallwo' the text read.

Tifa was worried, but still took a screenshot of the picture. These would come in handy later. 'Do you want me to come home?' she sent to him.

About a minute later he replied with, 'no im okay'.

Tifa rolled her eyes. He was playing the tough defender of the universe role again. She punched into her phone, 'Ok, let me know if you need me'. She knew that he was too stubborn to say if he actually needed help, but she could at least say that she tried.

* * *

Tifa was bouncing from group to group during craft time. Luckily, there were no scissors for Firion to play with today, but there was glue involved in the craft, so she had to keep an eye on Luneth. He was always very liberal with the glue if he wasn't eating it. Instead of having a popsicle-stick picture frame, he had a mass of paste and wood.

Once Tifa had tidied up the mess, she went to Yuna and Garnet who were putting foam stickers on their frames. "Are you having fun?" Tifa asked them.

Yuna held up her frame. "Lookit! I put stars on mine! They're purple!" she yipped.

Garnet showed hers too, not wanting to be overlooked. "Mine has jewels!" she informed. Some of the other nearby girls began showing Tifa their handiwork as well. Lulu, Freya, and Fran were eager to show off their delicate work. Selphie's, however, looked much like Luneth's. Glue coated her hands and wherever her hands had been in the last 15 minutes. So everywhere. Once Tifa cleaned up the tiny girl, she felt a pat on her leg. She looked down to see Vivi. She really wished that she could see his face under that hat, and wished even more that he would actually speak to the other kids.

That's when she noticed something in his hand. "Whatcha got there, Vivi?" she asked, awkwardly kneeling down to get a closer look.

He looked down at it wordlessly and held up his… picture frame? It looked more like a pile of sticks glued together and covered in glitter. He blinked his glowing yellow eyes, waiting for her approval.

"That's… very nice," she told him. Without another word, he waddled back to the table to sit at his place next to Kimahri.

After that event, Tifa glanced over at the Jenova brothers. They were chatting with Kuja while working on their crafts. Wow! She didn't expect Kuja to get along with anyone, much less the Sephiroth clones. Oh, not Sephiroth. There was still no proof that they were related to him, and not even any evidence that he was still alive. But the resemblance was almost scary…

A small voice emerged next to Tifa. "Um…"

Tifa looked down to see Squall. Well, his blanket at least. The little embroidered lion looked up at Tifa from its spot over Squall's head and shoulders. Where had he been all morning? The boy held a slightly gloppy picture frame in his hands that was threatening to fall apart. Tifa quickly put a paper plate under the craft and had Squall hold onto the edges of that instead. Once the minor issue was cleared up, Tifa smiled at Squall, "What is it, honey?"

He glanced nervously over at Kefka, who was under constant surveillance from Ventus and Aqua while he carefully arranged his picture frame in calculated movements. He kept on glancing at his wardens as if gauging their ability to control him if he decided to act up.

"I don't wike him." Squall declared quietly, "Can I go howme?"

Tifa opened her mouth to explain yet again that Squall's mother was busy during the day and couldn't pick him up yet, but was interrupted by a dull pop and Zell running over with tears in his eyes.

"Mama! My pictuh fwame ekspwoded!" he cried loudly.

Tifa glanced over at Kefka, who was snickering to himself. She sighed, "It's okay, Zell. Let me talk to Squall and I'll be right over and we can fix it, alright?"

Zell nodded sadly, "Okay, mama. I want the pictuh fwame to wook nice fuh ma…"

Squall pressed himself against Tifa's hip and looked somewhat fearfully at the pale snickering blond across the room. Tifa smoothed his hair and reasoned with Squall until they came to an agreement that, even though Mrs. Loire couldn't pick him up just yet, Tifa could see if she could come early. In the meantime, if Squall felt afraid, he would go and find a different place to play.

* * *

Claire sat in her nook continuing to read her half-finished copy of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire while Serah sat next to her and played dolls with Terra.

"Hey, girl," the creepy new kid approached them and addressed Claire, but not before he flicked Terra hard on the ear, resulting in a whimper and her moving several paces away.

Claire frowned and continued reading, granting him only enough time to say, "Leave them a-lone and go a-way. Don't bo-ther me when I am rea-ding."

Kefka shrugged, smile still on his face, "Okaaay," he sang, "But don't blame me when you're shocked when Cedric dies."

Claire rolled her eyes, "He's not gon-na die. He's one of the best com-pet-it-ors, stu-pid."

Kefka bit the tip of his tongue as his smile grew grotesquely large. He snatched Claire's book from her, immediately losing her place in the pages when he flipped near the end.

Claire jumped to her feet with fire in her eyes, "Give me back my book! You lost my place!" She jabbed her hand towards Kefka to take her book back, but he danced away while still flipping through the pages with his dirty hands. He grinned at Claire before licking his thumb and turning several more pages.

"EW! STOP THAT!" Serah and Terra glanced at each other before Serah stood and went to try and help her sister. Sora arrived in the doorway just as Kefka found what he was looking for and held the page out to the furious pink-haired girl. He tapped his finger against the paragraph and smiled evilly. Claire stopped dead as she glanced over the page.

Sora trotted over to the group, "Hey, what's wrong? Kefka, can you give Claire her book back?"

Kefka looked up at Sora with a smile, "Oh, yessir. No problem." He snapped the book shut and tossed it back to Claire. She grabbed it out of the air and glared at Kefka with gritted teeth and tears threatening to fall.

"YOU RU-INED MY BOOK, YOU STU-PID-HEAD!" she launched herself at the joker and he bit his bottom lip in a crazy grin.

Sora yelped and grabbed Claire as Kefka bounced out of the way and started hopping on his toes, ready for a brawl. Claire thrashed against Sora's hold and continued screaming, and Serah, startled by her sister's outburst, stated crying. Kefka started cackling loudly and jumping in place, "More, more! Scream more!" He abruptly stopped jumping and smiled over at Terra with wide eyes, "It's FUN!"

Terra squeaked and bolted from the room. The moment she ran into the hallway, she crashed into Locke and Luneth, and the three of them went sprawling into Auron, who fell into Aqua. Aqua hopped over the kids and ran into the chaotic room to find a panic-stricken Sora still wrestling with Claire while Kefka practically screamed with laughter a few paces away.

Sora looked at Aqua with wide eyes, "Help!"

Claire got his chin with an elbow and Sora let the girl drop. She sprinted towards Kefka and tried to bodyslam him, but ended up falling into a small table and chairs when the boy jumped to the side with an, "Olé!"

Aqua helped Claire to her feet then grabbed her around the middle when she launched herself at Kefka again. By now, Tifa had arrived with everyone else in the daycare inevitably trailing behind her. Snow and Seifer had wriggled their way to the front, and as Claire was carried by, still screaming how Cedric wasn't dead, Snow snickered. "Cuh-laire gets cu-rushes on book char-ik-turs!"

Claire shot him a glare and Aqua wasn't able to stop her fast enough before she had punched the tall blond in the face. Snow yelled and held his bleeding nose while Aqua awkwardly carried Claire away with her arms restrained. Tifa sent Snow to the infirmary with Kairi and looked over at what she was sure was the cause of this mess. Kefka lay on the ground kicking wildly and laughing even more so.

Tifa carefully approached the demon-child and knelt down. Kefka sent a kick towards her stomach and Tifa hadn't grabbed an ankle so fast in her life. She looked down at Kefka with wide eyes and pursed lips. "Stand up."

Kefka lay flat on his back. Tifa grabbed his bicep harshly and pulled him to his feet before looking him in the eye with a borderline glare. "Kefka, why are you behaving this way? What did you do to Claire and why did you try to kick me?"

Kefka grinned, "I didn't do anything. I was trying to give you a flat stomach like all girls want."

Tifa stared silently at him for a second, never letting go of his bicep even as his hand started to shake. She stood to her full height, "Come with me."

"Do I have a choice, jail warden?"

"No."

Tifa took Kefka to one of the smaller rooms in the daycare and closed the door before letting him go and gesturing for him to sit in one of the chairs. He flopped into it and she sat across from him. They sat silently while Tifa tried to organize her words.

"Kefka…is something wrong?"

"Nope." He yawned and looked out the window.

Tifa frowned. Something was definitely wrong in this boy's life to make him act out so horribly. She wondered what Ms. Palazzo had meant by his mother not being able to take care of him. And where was Kefka's father? She also wondered if Ms. Palazzo was really the best one to take care of this child. The aging woman was fairly open about her dislike of the boy even in public. What was home life like? Tifa turned a level gaze on the boy in the chair across from her, "Well, can you do me a favor?"

He shrugged and continued watching the kids outside play.

"Can you promise to be nicer to the rest of the kids today? Seems to me that playing with people would be more fun than making them mad at you."

Kefka shrugged again.

"You can go after you apologize to Claire."

He snorted, "You can drag me to that stupid girl, but you can't make me say anything."

Tifa frowned, "Then you'll stay with me while I talk to her and calm her down."

Kefka stuck his tongue out at Tifa and she pinched it like she had once done to Seifer. Kefka yelped similarly, but then bit Tifa's fingers before she had time to react. Tifa yelped and drew her hand back before flicking the naughty boy in the forehead. Kefka rubbed the small red spot on his head and glared at Tifa. Tifa blinked down at him.

"We don't bite here, Kefka. Understand?"

He smeared a smile onto his face, "_Yes, ma'am._"

Tifa stood, "Come on, then. We have to go talk to Claire now."

After everything was mostly smoothed over with the Farrons, Tifa let Kefka go play again, but made sure to try and keep him in sight as much as possible.

Tifa had been watching the sparring ring for a bit. They were playing a "Winner plays until they lose" game, and Beatrix finally looked like she was getting tired. Light, Bartz, Golbez (no surprise there), Locke, Vaan, Tidus, Petunia, and Zell were all taking turns to try and knock the fighting queen out. It was currently Golbez's turn, and Tifa was sure she saw the foam blade of destiny calling on a change of winners.

While keeping an eye on the playing children, Tifa produced her phone and texted Cloud.

'How you feeling? Have you been able to drink anything?'

She lowered her hand and closed her phone then looked up at a girl's scream to notice Kefka…again. He was chasing Kuja (oops, not a girl) around the playground like a madman, but suppressing his distinct cackle to remain stealthy. Riku began running over to them, but broke into an all-out sprint when Kuja threw a fireball back at the jokester, which was dodged with apparent ease. Several kids started yelling when the spell continued on its straightforward path and ended up almost hitting Lulu, who blocked it with a small shield and stood with an angry scowl on her delicate face, "Who did that?"

The rebounded fireball shot towards Wakka and hit him square in the head, causing said head to light like a match. Wakka screamed and started running, and Tifa and Aqua yelled before Aqua sprinted after the boy, chasing him almost in a complete circle before just shooting a ranged water spell at his upper body. The force of the hit knocked Wakka forward, and he pushed himself to his knees and began rubbing water and mud out of his eyes and crying. Aqua quickly picked the burned boy up and rushed him to Tifa, who started checking over his scalp. Luckily he wasn't severely burned, but large chunks of hair were burnt away and the smell was not pleasant.

Meanwhile, Lulu had stood ready to fight and Kefka was laughing loudly and shooting a flurry of ice-shards at Kuja and anyone else within range.

Tifa's gut turned to ice and she yelled "KEFKA!" As she, Ventus, Aqua, and Sora all sprinted towards the out-of-control boy while Kairi and Riku got the other kids away from him. Tifa pointed at the two teenagers trying to help her, "You two go help Riku and Kairi get everyone inside!"

The boys nodded and went separate ways as Kefka sprinted towards Petunia and Eliha, still spouting magic in a VERY threatening form. Eliha's eyes went wide and she shot a giant ice-block back at the crazy child. Tifa ran forward to make the group stop, but Aqua grabbed her, "Hold on, Tifa! I don't want you or the baby getting hurt! Would it be okay if you let me take care of this? I'm a mage myself, and the only things these kids probably know would be basic fire, ice, and thunder spells."

Tifa nodded, her mind going to the handful of mastered materia she kept locked away for emergencies. "You sure you can handle multiple kid mages on your own? Lulu! Eliha! Get back here right now!" Both girls had run toward Kefka and were trying to stop him from moving by dropping multitudes of ice-blocks around him.

Aqua nodded, "I've been through worse. I was at the frontlines of the Heartless war."

Tifa whistled and ran inside to grab her materia and do a quick check over of her kids. Other than a couple cuts that were being tended to, everyone seemed fine. On her way out, Sora, Riku, Ventus, and Kairi approached her.

"Excuse us, Mrs. Strife," Riku called. Tifa turned toward her crew as the tall boy continued; "We all can use magic if you need help. We're not the best, but we should be more than enough for little kids."

Tifa blinked. Was she the only one here that couldn't use magic without materia? Well, that's unusual. Outside, Tifa thought she heard Terra scream, followed soon by Snow yelping. She used her sense materia to know where everyone was immediately (you know, with how rowdy these kids were, it might be a good idea to have sense equipped constantly. Well…maybe not constantly. Tifa didn't know how it would affect her baby and wasn't fond of taking chances). But at least she could now tell that Terra was inside. Good thing, too. Tifa didn't need another mage out there. However, Kuja and Snow _were_ outside, and within fighting range. She shook her head, "I'm sorry Riku, but could you four stay in here and make sure everyone's alright? I'm not comfortable with putting any of you in a situation where you could actually get hurt." Cecil shrieked and threw his arms over his head as a large ice shard broke through the window nearest him. Golbez grabbed his now cut and crying brother and backpedaled away from the broken ice and glass with the rest of the kids.

He looked outside at Kefka with a snarl, "Watch what you're doing, stupid! Cecil, are you okay?" The tall boy took his small brother's arm and inspected the cut before showing it to Sora when the teen arrived with Band-Aids.

Nearby, a dumbfounded Zidane exclaimed. "I'm an _angel..._!"

Tifa ignored the epiphany and checked Cecil over before turning to the four adolescents, "You see? I need you to stay in here, I'm sorry." Tifa blinked and did a quick head-count to make sure no one moved since she used Sense. A handful of kids were missing. She looked outside. Surely Vivi wouldn't join in this fight? Snow and Seifer definitely were, Tifa was sure of that as soon as she'd used Sense the first time, and Petunia was out there trying to help Eliha. Just then, the aforementioned girls shrieked and Kefka started laughing loudly. Tifa blanched. Kefkaaa. She moved to run outside but paused and looked out the window when the all noise was abruptly cut off.

Outside, Tifa saw that Aqua had cast a spell and easily captured each of the mages and their helpers in large blue bubbles. Kefka yelled angrily from his prison and shot magic uselessly at the thin layer of water surrounding him. Kuja reacted just as heatedly; only he threw himself on the ground and started throwing a kicking, screaming fit. Aqua cast Silence on everyone in a bubble and Kefka glared murderously at her when his outpouring of magic abruptly stopped. Tifa glanced around for Vivi once again, worried from when she hadn't sensed him, and upon going outside finally found the boy tucked away behind Zidane's climbing tree and attentively tending to a googly-eyed pet rock with a self-made shield surrounding them. Wow, was it Vivi's shield that blocked Tifa's materia? He might be one of the best mages here. Tifa shook her head and laughed quietly to herself, wondering additionally why she had been worried about the heavily clothed child joining in the mayhem. He had never seemed fond of conflict. She tapped on the yellow oval surrounding the boy and he turned his glowing eyes on her, "Vivi," she started, "You can let your shield down now. Come on, let's go inside okay?"

He stared at her for a moment before nodding and letting his shell dissipate. He got to his feet and took Tifa's hand, "...I'm sorry I didn't help."

He speaks! Tifa shook her head, "Don't worry about it, Vivi. You did just fine. That was a really good shield you made! I couldn't find you even with a strong materia!"

Vivi looked up at Tifa and his eyes crinkled in a smile, "Really? Thank you."

Tifa brought Vivi inside and released him to play with the other kids before heading over to the infirmary where Aqua and Ventus were tending to Seifer, Eliha, Lulu, Kefka (though he was still in his bubble and furious about it), Kuja, Snow, and Petunia. On one small bed, Seifer moaned and whined loudly while Aqua held his arm still so she could calm an angry burn. On another, Lulu angrily tried to cast cure on a hastily bandaged cut on her shoulder, but with no result. Meanwhile, Kuja wailed from his spot next to Lulu, seeking pity for the jolt of electricity that had hit him and made his hair stand on end. Petunia and Snow were lying across from each other after Ventus had mummified the both of them, and were grumbling to each other about the surrounding 'wusses'.

Kefka stopped his pounding at the flexible prison around him when Tifa walked in, and snarled. Tifa looked at the animalistic posture and expression and wished she could tell Aqua to release him, but she just wasn't comfortable with letting the child loose until he decided to pretend politeness again. When he stopped acting to obviously out of control, then he would go free.

Though he would not go unwatched for the remainder of his time here.

Tifa knelt in front of the bubble and ignored the kick Kefka shot at her. "Kefka…"

"What, witch?!"

"I can't let you out until you decide to calm down."

The boy snarled and punched at the bubble. Tifa caught his fist through the flexing water and held it tight, ignoring his rage. "Understand?"

"NO! GO AWAY!"

Tifa kept her face nearly expressionless and calm, though her brow furrowed a bit in pity. The boy was troubled more than even this outburst showed, and Tifa wondered again what his home life was like. "Do you want me to have Ms. Aqua move you so you can calm down by yourself? Would that help?"

"NO!"

Tifa turned to Aqua, who nodded and had Kefka moved to an empty room with the daycare owner. While she was walking, Tifa noticed Kairi scurrying around with a confused and worried look on her face, and she called the teen over, "What's wrong, Kairi?"

Kairi jumped to attention and trotted over to her boss, "Um…" she started, "Have you seen Squall anywhere, Mrs. Strife? It's naptime and I can't find him anywhere. Do you think he ran away when…" she glanced at the bubble containing Kefka before snapping her attention back to Tifa. Kefka's face darkened into a glare. "Um. When the fight happened?"

Tifa's brow furrowed, "I hope not but no, I haven't seen him. Let me talk with Kefka for a little bit and then I'll come help you, okay?"

Kairi nodded. "I'll let Riku and Sora know." The girl darted around the doll town Lulu and Claire were making (the older Farron sister completely ignoring her book after Kefka ruined the ending) and ran out into the hallway.

Tifa watched Kairi leave before taking Kefka back to the quiet room where she had talked with him before. She sat him in the chair (his magical prison molding to its shape to prevent awkwardness) and sat across from him. They sat in silence for a while until Kefka finally showed signs of calming down. Tifa's phone buzzed and she made a note to check it when she was done with Kefka.

She looked the naughty boy over and asked softly, "Kefka, do you have anything to say about how you've been acting today?"

"No." He crossed his arms and stared down into his lap.

"Do you act this way at home, too?"

"None of your business."

Tifa kept her hands folded in her lap, "…Okay. I won't push. But can you please be nicer until your Aunt comes to pick you up? It would mean a lot to me."

"…"

"I'm going to go and get Miss Aqua so she can let you out. Do you want to get something to eat with me after? It's past lunchtime."

Kefka remained in his seat; arms still crossed and head still down. He didn't say anything. Tifa left and brought Aqua back, and the mage dissipated the barrier around Kefka. Both women were half expecting the 6-year-old to bounce up and attack as soon as his prison was gone, and were pleasantly surprised when he stood and just looked at them.

"…I'm hungry."

Tifa held her hand out, "Well hello there, Hungry, let's go get something from the fridge. Do you like peanut butter and jelly?"

"Hmph," Kefka smirked, "That's the oldest joke in the book."

* * *

When Tifa opened the low cabinet to get the bread out for peanut butter sandwiches, a quiet gasp greeted her. Tifa blinked and opened a second cabinet to let more light in and found Squall squeezed into a nook between the sink pipe and the wall. Across from Squall sat Zell, surrounded and covered by the contents of an upturned Cheerios box. Zell beamed and crawled towards Tifa, "Mama! Mama!"

Tifa's jaw fell. Her Cheerios! "Zell…!" she groaned. Next to the cereal-coated boy, Squall saw Kefka and started hyperventilating. He squeezed himself as far into the corner as he could and gaped, horrified, at the child while his breathing became so forced squeaks could be heard behind the air. Kefka smiled as Tifa slowly shut the door to his cabinet. The breathing became more relaxed, so Tifa held her hand out to the Cheerio covered Zell. "Come on, Zell," she told him. Zell clutched her outstretched hand and scooted out of the cabinet. Cheerios fell onto the ground as he crawled out. "Let's get you some real food."

Someone still had to clean up the mess though, and Tifa had to get lunch ready. Who was the best candidate? "Sora!" she called. The summer-turned-into-part-time hire tromped over, ready to do whatever task Tifa had in mind. She pointed at the cheerios. "Can you clean this up?"

Sora got to work immediately with a "Yeah, sure!" so Tifa thanked him and started off. Suddenly, there was a shriek and the slam of a cabinet door. "Uh, Tifa, er, Ms. Strife?" Sora called. "You know there's a kid in here?"

"It's Squall. Just leave him," she sighed.

Sora slowly nodded and continued cleaning.

* * *

To Tifa's relief, Kefka was well behaved when they all sat down for lunch. All the kids had their lunch kits (or Tifa-made peanut butter sandwiches) and were about to dig in when Kefka raised his bony white hands. "Wait, wait, wait!" he hollered. Tifa looked at him sternly, ready for any antics. Instead, the pale boy pasted a smile on his face. "We have to pray before our meals!" He stood up and clasped his hands at his chest. A few kids, including Terra, Yuna, and Cecil, copied him and bowed their heads as well. Most of the other kids did so hesitantly and looked at each other with furrowed brows. Once all the kids were in a praying position, Kefka loudly began belting out the oh-so-common children's prayer. "Gaia is GREAT, Gaia is GOOD. Let us thank her for our FOOD. AAAAAYYYMYEN," as he finished, he eyed the other students with his obviously fake "I'm an angel" smile. Then he sat down stiffly and picked up his sandwich. The other kids tentatively began eating as well.

Lunch passed without issue except for some inaudible but clearly unhappy mumbling coming from the area where the Jenova brothers and Kuja sat. Other than that…

Tifa's phone buzzed. Oh, no! She had forgotten to check it! When she pulled it out, she was greeted by twelve unread messages from Cloud. Most of them consisted of poorly taken selfies and phrases like, 'im bored,' or 'im sikc'. The last one said something along the lines of, 'I cant swallow pain pills'.

'Have you been able to have water?' She sent.

After a few minutes of blinking dots, Cloud sent a selfie of his "tough" face and a message that said, 'a little bit'_._

Tifa sighed. She was going to go home early… hopefully her two newcomers would leave earlier than her. As soon as she was done with lunch, she told her workers that she would be leaving early. Once Aqua, Riku, Kairi, and Ventus had been informed once again of her husband's illness, Tifa started looking for Sora. After wandering around for a bit, she found the spike-ladled brunette eating his lunch next to the cabinets where Squall was still hiding. Tifa's brow furrowed and she crossed her arms, her smile betraying her truer feelings. Sora was such a sweet boy. "Uh, Sora…?"

Sora looked up from his ramen and fruit cups with a startled slurp. "Oh! Hi, Ms. Strife!" he greeted after wiping the cheap-ramen-oil off his chin and mouth with a lean arm.

"What are you doing?" she asked, grin still in place.

Sora smiled sheepishly and lowered his noodles. "Well, Squall wanted to stay in the cabinet because he was scared. So I brought him his lunch and I'm keeping him company," the teen explained.

Tifa nodded. "Alright then," she said. "I just wanted to let you know that I'll be leaving early. My husband isn't feeling well…"

"Oh no, I'm sorry!" Sora replied, his large sapphire eyes growing wide…er. There was a squeak from the cabinet and Sora stiffened. "I'm sorry," he repeated in a whisper.

Tifa tossed her hand nonchalantly. "Well, I'll leave you to your lunch date. You two have fun, okay?"

Sora grinned and nodded.

* * *

After lunchtime, many of the kids returned to the playground. Like lunch, it was somewhat uneventful. Riku and Ventus had to coax Zidane out of the climbing tree, the Jenova brothers and Kuja found that they could all fit on the tire swing (and talked the newly arrived Lea into pushing them. The red-head and his friend had arrived shortly after lunch), Aqua tended to the kids who were still in the infirmary, and even Kefka was allowing all the girls to go on the slide before him… well he pulled on Terra's ponytail once, but Auron chewed him out for it, so Tifa didn't have to worry. Unfortunately, her having to remain close to the boy and still let him play was proving to be a bit of a problem. Tifa's back was killing her, the baby had become wiggly from her being on her feet so soon after eating, and even though it was September, it was somewhat warm outside.

After 15 more minutes of outside time, she brought Kefka inside to the playroom where Roxas and Sora were patrolling. As usual, Claire and Light were in the reading corner surrounded by several small volumes. Vivi, Firion, and Luneth were keeping themselves busy with coloring books. And even Rinoa, Lulu, and Garnet were playing nicely with the dolls. Lulu didn't seem to mind the company, either.

Suddenly, there was a loud shriek from the playground. Tifa quickly turned her head to the window, wondering who was messing with Terra. She had to scurry to the other end of the window to see where the problem was. It was coming from the big tree. Lea was trying to avoid getting hit with a nasty fire spell. Tifa stayed at the window only long enough to see a teary-eyed Kuja sneering at the Jenova brothers. "MY mother is better than YOURS!" the boy screamed. Was it him that shrieked?

As soon as he finished that statement, he shot a blizzard spell at the triplets. Tifa hurried outside. Why was running while pregnant so taxing?! She was a bit winded just by running to the back area. This was pathetic. It hadn't been an eternity ago when she was riding a chocobo or, heck, walking or jogging across entire freaking continents! Aqua dashed by Tifa with her slim, non-childbearing body that Tifa was suddenly a bit jealous of. Tifa figured the sudden jealousy was normal, but she was showing her baby belly a lot more than most women at her stage. Again, Tifa chalked it up to having a full height of a whopping 5'4". "Don't worry, Mrs. Strife!" Aqua called as she ran to the tussle. Loz had tackled the fair-haired boy and was thrown off by a frantically fired spell. Kadaj was then pounding on his brother, screaming his mother's praises to the heavens and telling, no, yelling at Kuja that _Kuja's_ mother wasn't as great as _their _mother. Yazoo would have been in the fight, but he was busy dragging a large stick over to the tussle, his fine face set in a definite scowl. As Lea was pulling Loz away, Kuja shot a thunder spell at the two of them. Aqua and Riku sprung in to stop the brawl when the stunned Lea dropped Loz and the chunky boy dove back in to further pummel the screeching Kuja.

Rinoa, one of the kids watching the fight, eyed Kuja and exclaimed with wide eyes, "I'm an _angel_!"

Just as Kuja was about to launch another spell, Aqua cast silence on him and Stop on the Jenova boys, effectively ending the fight.

Riku looked at the frozen boy in his arms and at the others before exclaiming aggravatedly, "What is _wrong_ with you guys today?! This is ridiculous!"

Tifa flung her arm towards the tall boy, "Took the words right out of my mouth, Riku… Come on; let's get them inside. Kefka, come on. Can you help me?"

The pale blond bounced over from a crying Terra (ugh why had Tifa let her eyes off him for even an instant?) and smiled, "Of course, Miss Tifa! I would be happy to help!"

Locke and Firion ran to help Terra up from the dirt, and Locke tripped the taller boy to ensure his spot next to the emerald haired girl. Tifa, who missed this as well, turned to the pair, "Terra, are you okay? Do you need Locke to help you to the infirmary? Firion, are you okay?"

Terra hiccupped and blinked up at Locke before taking his hand and standing up, revealing a badly scraped knee and ankle.

Locke puffed up his chest and continued to hold onto Terra's hand, "It's okay, Terra. I'll help you, so you don't have to worry."

Terra nodded and started limping lightly next to her current hero. Several boys glared at Locke from the rest of the playground, but more were glaring at Kefka, who was innocently helping Tifa carry Loz inside.

* * *

Tifa hung up her phone for hopefully the last time after her second round of calling parents to warn of sustained injuries. She rubbed her face, leaned back in her chair, and started rubbing absently at her belly.

Next to her, Kefka sighed heavily from his stool, "Can I go noooow?"

"You know you have to stay with me until your Aunt comes to get you, Kefka."

A tan car pulled into the parking lot and Kefka's face broke into a gruesome grin. Tifa made a grab for his arm, but he was tearing down the hall before she could reach him. She jumped to her feet and dashed after him, knowing that this would not end well. The boy sprinted outside and hurriedly did a scan of everyone there. His eyes locked on Cecil, who was standing at the edge of the sparring mat and encouraging his brother, who was in an intense bout with Zidane.

Kefka sprinted up to the boy and spun him around by the shoulder, the confused Cecil only barely registering who had grabbed him before Kefka had punched the petite boy in the stomach, resulting in a loud outcry. Tifa grabbed Kefka and pulled him off of the crumpled Harvey as Golbez broke off his match with a panicked, "Cecil?!"

Kefka started cackling loudly and kicking in Tifa's grasp as his Aunt burst through the back door, "I saw him run! What happened?!"

The 6-year-old turned his grin on Ms. Palazzo, "Hello, Auntie! It's great to see you!"

By now, the entire playground was staring nervously at the crazy child being restrained by Tifa and now his Aunt, Aqua, and Riku. They glanced around at each other and back at the tussle as Kefka threw an arm into Tifa's stomach. She dropped her hold on him and backpedaled away, her spot almost immediately being taken over by Ventus.

Ms. Palazzo's eyes grew wide when she saw Tifa's stomach, "O-oh Gaia… I had no idea. Are you okay? Is the baby okay?" she fretted as she called over Kefka's mad laughter.

Tifa nodded, rubbing the spot where she was sure Kefka had bruised her. The baby squirmed, aware of the sudden jostle but otherwise unbothered. "I-it was just a bump. We're fine." She felt a tug on her sleeve and looked down to see a worried Golbez.

He was holding Cecil up by his shoulders and pressing him close to his side, carefully keeping him from facing Tifa directly, "Miss Tifa, Cecil doesn't feel well."

The boy retched and Tifa looked away, suddenly very nauseous, as a handful of slugs plopped to the ground. Several kids exclaimed in disgust (Claire shouting that it was way grosser in real life than when Ron did the same thing in the Chamber of Secrets) and a couple others threw up in reaction to Cecil, which caused a second larger chain. Cecil, meanwhile was starting to cry as more slugs came up. Kefka, who had quieted so he could watch his handiwork unfold, burst out into laughter once again before his Aunt grabbed him by the ear and started quietly and angrily lecturing him.

Golbez gaped at his slug-producing brother before turning a dark glare on Kefka and leading Cecil to go sit down away from the others, but not before asking Tifa to call their mother.

* * *

Once Kefka was sitting in the foyer snickering to himself and glancing over at the chair that held Cecil and his bucket, his Aunt approached Tifa with a solemn and sorrowful expression on her face, "I am so sorry about all of this…"

Tifa kept her eyes trained on her desk and tried to ignore Cecil's periodic retches and the wet plops following them while she punched in Mrs. Harvey's number. "It's okay. Give me a second to call Mrs. Harvey and I'll get Kefka signed out."

Mrs. Palazzo nodded and went to stand next to Kefka, who was now making faces at Golbez, who was trying his best not to fly across the room and pummel the mage into the floor.

The phone rang a few times before Mrs. Harvey answered, "HELLOW? TIFA, IS THAT YOU?"

"Yes, it's me, Mrs. Harvey. Um. I was just calling to… Cecil isn't feeling very well today. Golbez has done a great job at helping him, though."

Mrs. Harvey's normally happy tone dissipated in an instant, "WHAT HEAPPENED? RUNNY NOSE? FEVAH? STOMACHACHE? IS HIS AZTHMA ACTIN' UP?"

"Well, it's his stomach, but it's not that he's sick…"

"WEYELL, SPYIT IT OUT!"

"We uh…had a new student today."

"…I'M ON MY WAY."

The phone cut off and Tifa turned to Mrs. Palazzo and the Harvey brothers, "Golbez, Cecil, your mother's on her way. Mrs. Palazzo, I think you and Kefka might want to stay until she gets here.

* * *

Mrs. Harvey stormed in through the front doors, hair half done and missing her shoes, **"WHOOOOOOO DID IT?!"** She screamed as she saw and stomped over to her sons, standing protectively in front of them. Kefka's eyes went wide and his back was straight as an arrow. What had he gotten himself into? Mama bear saw him and his Aunt across the way and she narrowed her beady, makeup-laden eyes at the boy. Tifa crossed her fingers and tried not to laugh.

**"IT WAS _YOU _WOISN'T IT?! WHAT IN THE NAME OF ALL THEAT IS GOOD MADE YOU THINK THAT HEXING _MY_ BAYBEE CECIL WAS FUN?! YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOAHSELF YOU SNOT-NOSED BRAT! I KNOW YOAH MUTHAH IYIS!"**

Kefka's Aunt's mouth twitched, but she must have decided that now was not the time to assert her place as Kefka's Aunt. Behind Mrs. Harvey, Cecil retched again and 3 more slugs fell into the slowly filling bucket. He sobbed, "Mother…"

"…_YOU STAY WHERE YOU AH, BRAT_." Mrs. Harvey gave Kefka a warning glare and turned to look her son over, "OHHW, HONEE. LET MAMA GET'CHU ALL FIXED UP, HUH? IZZIT YOAH TUMMY SPECIFICALLY? OR SOMEWHEA ELSE?"

"It's his stomach." Golbez informed immediately. "Kefka _punched_ him."

Mrs. Harvey shot a dark glare over her shoulder at the boy, who shrunk back into his chair, before turning back to Cecil and rubbing her hand against his bloated stomach. After a moment or two, Cecil relaxed and put the bucket down next to his chair. Golbez rubbed his brother's shoulder before giving him a playful ruffle of the hair.

"YA FEEL BETTAH, HONEE? DID I GET IT OALL?"

Cecil nodded and hugged Mrs. Harvey, "Thank you, Mother!"

She nodded and gave him a large kiss on the cheek before Cecil left to go rinse his mouth out. She turned on Kefka and stomped over to the boy, "NOW WHAT IS THIS ABOUT'CHU PUNCHIN' MY BOI?"

* * *

By the time Mrs. Harvey had finished lecturing the young mage, Kuja's father (though Tifa had to check a license because the two looked so absolutely nothing alike) had came to pick up his son. Where Kuja was anything that was beautiful (save for the tantrums), his father was…not. A tall, gangly man with large joints, a face that might have been disfigured (it was hard to tell, but something was definitely wrong with his face), and giving off a bad feeling. Though he was very pleasant while picking Kuja up, even a bit meek, Tifa simply got a knot in her stomach from being near him. Kuja didn't seem too thrilled not to be picked up by his mother either, and he threw yet another fit, for which his father apologized profusely.

When Mrs. Harvey finished with the terrified Kefka, she signed her boys out and went home, followed immediately by an apologetic Ms. Palazzo. She wrote Tifa a hefty check for the few hours Kefka had been there and left in a hurry, and finally Tifa was able to leave. She let everyone know once again that she was going home and headed out, leaving Aqua in charge.

* * *

Tifa parked her car and headed into the kitchen, "Cloud? Are you awake? I called the doctor and they said you could come in early." She glanced at the counter and sighed when she saw that the pain pills and Tylenol were unopened and had the same amounts as this morning when she left. Next to them was a full glass of lukewarm water. A weak, wheezing cough came from the living room and Tifa got another mask and headed over. Cloud was under the same comforter, shaking and sweating. He wheezed out half of another cough and moaned.

Tifa sat on the edge of the couch and patted his shoulder through the comforter, "Cloud, are you dressed? We need to take you to the doctor."

He cracked one bloodshot eye open and blinked at her before closing it with a quiet sigh.

Tifa stood and pulled Cloud into a sitting position, ignoring that he was left shivering in his boxers. She wrapped the blanket back around him and propped him against the armrest before going upstairs and getting some clean clothes.

After she had him dressed, Tifa guided him out to the car and sat him in the passenger side with a bag for if he got carsick (which was more than likely. Tifa was going to drive very slowly with the windows down to try and help. Luckily the hospital wasn't too incredibly far).

Cloud threw up once and moaned the rest of the way. Tifa tried to drown it out and focus on driving. At least the hospital wasn't too far away...

During the check-up portion of the visit, Cloud seemed listless and wasn't incredibly cooperative. The doctor ended up asking Cloud a series of questions to check his responsiveness.

"Can you tell me your name?"

"…"

"Where are you from?"

"…"

"What is your wife's name?"

"…" (Tifa was a bit upset at his lack of response for this one.)

"Who is the president of the WRO?"

"…"

"…Who was the president of ShinRa?"

Cloud's eyes rolled so far back into his head they almost disappeared. He leered up from his seat and quietly wheezed out an annoyed "Fuckin' Rufus." (That made up for his previous lack of response by making Tifa giggle.)

After that and much more waiting, the doctor told Tifa how to take care of Cloud (apparently he had come down with strep) and also gave her some medicine to prevent any new bacteria from getting into her system. Soon, they were on their way home again and Cloud dry heaved on the way back. Cars were really not his thing if he wasn't driving.

When they got home, Tifa had Cloud force down some medicine and water (and he didn't throw it back up, thankfully), but he wasn't able to eat much else. He also stayed on the couch since Tifa didn't want to get sick as well and also partly because she didn't want to carry him back up the stairs. "Just call—er, text if you need anything," she told him.

Cloud leaned his head back drowsily and held up a thumb, waving it weakly. He still didn't feel like talking. It was completely understandable.

Once Tifa was showered and about to go to bed, she checked her phone. Cloud sent a selfie of himself smiling deliriously and a text that read, "Thnk u".

* * *

Shoooo... do you like dis style bettar? Preash let me know... Shee you shooooooon!


	6. Month 5 and a half

Hello lovelies! I thought a little short would be cute. Y'know, just a bit of a breather for Tifa, haha. First Fantasy has been a bit hectic as of late :) Enjoy!

* * *

Month 5½

* * *

Cloud came into the bedroom and placed his hand against Tifa's forehead. She opened her eyes and stared at him a bit before closing them. Cloud's brow furrowed and he ran his fingers through her hair, "You feel any better, hon? Want me to get more ice?"

"…" Tifa shook her head slightly, "m'cold…" she murmured in a hoarse voice.

Cloud nodded. He felt entirely at fault for Tifa getting sick (while she was pregnant no less. Way to go, dad) so he was doing anything he could to help her feel better. Luckily, the pair had been keeping an eye out for cold or strep symptoms, so they caught the infection earlier this time around. And it turned out that today was a good day for Tifa to get sick (except for her missing a day or two at First Fantasy). Cloud had only a handful of deliveries that needed to be taken care of, and he had finished them and gotten home just a bit ago. He straightened, "I'll go get a bigger blanket and some water. Want me to put a movie on?"

Tifa paused, then nodded before reaching for her phone, opening the messaging screen, and punching in 'forrest gump?'

Cloud nodded and broke into thick Nibelheimian, "O'couahse. Yoah mah guhrl."

Tifa broke out in a weak, though still genuine, smile and shoved his shoulder playfully. He gave a small grin back before getting the movie started and leaving to get more blankets.

* * *

Aerith texted Tifa halfway through the movie, asking if the mother-to-be would still be able to help the bride-to-be with wedding planning in a couple days because Zack was hopeless. His idea for catering was to bring the entire wedding party unannounced to his favorite barbecue restaurant after the ceremony! And while there was nothing wrong with barbecue, you had to at least give a fair warning to whoever was expected to feed several people and a Denzel (the boy had hit a growth spurt since he and Marlene moved back with Barret, and would eat the world dry if given the chance). Even with a relatively small wedding and no tween boy, it was still a good-sized group of people and a lot of food! And what if someone didn't like the same food that Zack did?

Tifa replied after reading through the monster-text that Aerith had sent relaying all of this that Aerith might want to wait an extra day or two extra to make sure Tifa wasn't contagious, and then accidentally sent the message that she had typed for Cloud to read. Aerith replied with 'Yes, I know Jenny would have had a better life with Forest, but what does that have to do with what we're talking about, lol?'

Tifa laughed softly and winced, rubbing her throat unhappily, before showing Cloud the message. He got a playful glint in his eye before taking Tifa's phone and replying, 'everything. it had everything to do with this conversation'.

There was a pause until Aerith replied. 'haha, ok? I'll just ponder on that later'.

Tifa pursed her lips at Cloud, who held her phone between two fingers just out of arm's reach. "Cm'awn, Tifa. You cn' raech," he taunted sweetly.

Tifa clumsily wrestled with Cloud until she "won" her phone back, then immediately texted, 'Aerith, my husband is being mean to me. Also, his accent is stuck again'.

'Haha! Country boy, be nice to your pregnant wife that you got sick!'

Tifa held up the message triumphantly and Cloud sighed, "Did'ja hav'ta tell'er thet I'm stuck agiyin? 'Ts maen."

Tifa readjusted herself until she was leaning more solidly against Cloud before showing him her 'Sorry'.

He smiled and shook his head, ignoring his wife's tired puppy eyes, before resting his arm around her and rubbing her belly.

* * *

While they were watching the end of Forrest, Forrest Gump, Tifa blinked and pulled out her phone to start typing. Cloud glanced between the phone and the TV screen as she typed. Finally, she held up her phone and Cloud read the message.

'Forrest Gump jr reminds me of Sora for some reason. Can you see it?'

Cloud looked on the screen at the little blond boy. His brow furrowed and he leaned his head to one side. "He 'as big ahyes, I giyis…naw…I don' seeit."

Tifa stared at the kid on screen a bit longer before shrugging, painfully stifling a yawn, and snuggling back onto Cloud. He started running his fingers through her now hip-length hair. Tifa took his other hand and absently played with the wedding ring on his finger until he spoke up as the credits started rolling.

"I like thet'chur growin yer hair back aewt."

Tifa ducked her head and smiled up at him before nodding and getting her phone. 'I'm glad. I kinda growing it for you, haha'

A faint smile lit Cloud's features, "…Thank yew. Thet's swaet."

'I know' Tifa yawned, 'mind if I sleep on you?'

"Nah. Bud'ju wanna pilluh?"

'you're not THAT bony'

Cloud shrugged and settled down before yawning himself. He pulled the blanket from where it had fallen on the floor and Tifa helped get it over the two of them before drifting into sleep. Cloud planted a small kiss on her temple and did likewise.

* * *

For anyone who had trouble reading Cloud's accent, I'll post a translation here, lol

Of course. You're my girl.

Come on, Tifa. You can reach.

Did you have to tell her I'm stuck again? It's mean.

He has big eyes, I guess...no...I don't see it.

I like that you're growing your hair back out.

Thank you. That's sweet.

No. But do you want a pillow?


	7. Month 6

Hello! I live! I'm so sorry that this took forever and a half to write! I have no excuse, so I hope my deepest apologies will suffice :'(

* * *

Month 6

* * *

Tifa pulled a black tank top over her swollen stomach followed by a pair of black shorts to wear under a white miniskirt. For some reason, Tifa absolutely loved Halloween. She always looked forward to dressing up as someone other than herself. Also, since the kids were going to celebrate as well, she got to stay in cosplay all day!

Cloud walked in from the bathroom, Tifa's flat iron in his hand. He was taking the day off to help Tifa seeing as there were going to be A LOT of kids. Also.

Kefka.

Tifa hadn't heard a peep from the boy or his aunt from the time he had been picked up last month till yesterday, and in all honesty she hadn't minded not seeing them anymore. But he was back today and Tifa didn't have the heart to say he couldn't come, despite Cloud's strong opinions of the child. He had heard the stories and seen the bruise the boy had given her last month and Tifa practically had to force him to not hunt Kefka down. The biggest reason her husband was coming today was actually to keep Kefka in check, but that didn't excuse Cloud from having to dress up with Tifa. "Um," he muttered as he stepped out of the bathroom. Most of his yellow hair was hanging around his face instead of standing up like it usually did, but a few stubborn callicks remained.

Tifa immediately went into the bathroom and grabbed the gel. The faint smell of burning hair greeted her when she walked in. On the counter was a lock of singed blonde hair. She glanced back at Cloud who had a bald spot on his hairline. She lowered her gaze and smirked. "Nice hair cut," she mused.

He frowned. "I can't use a straightener, okay?" he grumbled.

"Is this where the 'oh, crap' a while ago came from?" Tifa grinned.

Cloud crossed his arms. "Maybe."

* * *

The pair finished getting ready without any other mishaps. Once Tifa had put on a long, red wig she borrowed from a friend, the pair was ready to go. On the way to the daycare, the smell of Cloud's lavender-colored hairspray filled the car. They were more than happy to get out the instant Cloud parked the car.

Tifa unlocked the daycare's door and started to the counter, Cloud following behind her. Before she reached her desk, Aqua leapt out from behind the counter. "Rawr!" the helper hollered.

Tifa jumped into a loose fighting stance, but then relaxed when she saw that the intruder was only Aqua. Tifa smiled. "What are you doing here…" she looked over the blue-haired girl's costume. She wore a blue dress, white apron, and a blonde wig. "…Alice?"

"I got here early," Aqua said with a sly smile. "I wanted to surprise you." She nodded at Cloud. "And hello to you, Mr. Strife..." she got a playful gleam in her eye. "Or should I say Jessie and James?!"

Tifa grinned at Cloud. "Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!" she beamed as she struck a pose.

Cloud looked a bit confused, but then smiled as he continued, also posing, albeit less dramatically. "Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

Tifa grabbed her stomach and did a high-pitched voice. "Meowth, that's right!"

Cloud chuckled and Aqua laughed at their impersonation.

Once they had finished with the formalities, Tifa clapped her hands together. "Alright then, we should get ready for the kids," she told the two.

Aqua stood at attention. "Right. What needs to be done?" she asked.

Tifa dug in her purse and pulled out a large bag of assorted sweets. "Can you go put a bit of candy in each of the kids' cubbies? Also, you are aware that Kefka will be with us today?" she asked.

Aqua nodded and started off to the playroom after giving a groan. Once she was gone, Tifa had Cloud start putting up some decorations while she checked her mail and payments. Yet again, the Zuzelas had NOT paid (wow, what a surprise. Let's send another warning).

As she finished typing up and sending the mildly threatening email, the bell on the door chimed. Tifa looked up, "Ah, Mrs. Zuzela, I've been-…" she cleared her throat, "I'm sorry Mr. and Mrs. Warrior. I'll go ahead and get Light signed in."

Mrs. Warrior smiled warmly and gave a slight bow, as beautiful as ever, "It's okay, Mrs. Strife. We understand that normally it is Mrs. Zuzela and her boy Tidus in first. We are sorry to confuse you."

Mr. Warrior continued, just as formal with his speech as his wife, as equally as nice on the eyes. Tifa realized that they had a similar ethereal beauty to Kuja's mother. "You see, we have a conference to attend today and it starts fairly early. We should be back at around the usual time, but we might be a bit late. I do hope that's not a problem?"

Mrs. Warrior smoothed Light's head, "Light has his costume in his backpack. We weren't sure if you would be wearing costumes all day," Tifa and Cloud glanced at each other, Tifa trying to hide a jokingly sheepish face, "He has everything he needs, but might need some help assembling it all. Is that okay?"

Tifa smiled and nodded. "That's fine," she looked down at Light. "You can go to the bathroom and put on your costume. Let me know if you need help."

Light nodded while yipping a "Thank you, Miss Tifa!" and running off to the bathroom.

Without much more banter, the Warriors left. Once they were gone, a steady stream of kids began coming into First Fantasy in a vast array of costumes.

After Light was Zell dressed as Nacho Libre, then by Firion dressed as Red from Pokémon, Bartz as a chocobo (holding his stuffed chocobo, Boko, who was wearing some of Bartz' clothes), and Auron dressed as Samurai Jack (he told her himself that the cartoon samurai was his personal hero). By that time Light had emerged from the boy's room in his Superman costume holding a can of black hairspray.

"Miss Tifa?" he asked while tapping lightly on her thigh, "Can you help me get my hair black? Mother gave me a cover for my costume so it won't get dirty."

Tifa nodded and finished getting Locke, Zidane, Vaan, and Luneth checked in (the Red power Ranger, Diddy Kong, Samus, and…an onion taped onto his head, respectively) for Edea before going out into the back to spray and style Light's hair. Once it was completely black and slicked away from his face except for the forehead curl, Light chirped a thank you and ran inside to show the others.

"Let it dry before you touch it, Light!" Tifa called before heading back inside, she rubbed her belly with a grimace, "Ugh. Calm down in there, baby." She walked back inside while holding her hands over the spots where the baby wiggling around was bothering her, and was struck again with the thought that there was a living thing, a new human no less, growing in her abdomen and made up of her and another human's DNA.

Gaia, women are weird. It's like they clone things, but not.

Cloud raised an eyebrow as Tifa approached because of her pensive expression, and Tifa waved her hand as if to say 'Don't worry about it'. He thought about asking for a moment, but decided it leave it be with a shrug and stood to let Tifa take over the front desk again.

The door chimed open and Aqua's boyfriend snuck in wearing an elaborate purple suit designed to be the Cheshire Cat. Terra glanced around before looking at Cloud and Tifa and breaking into a smile upon seeing their costumes, "That's awesome," he laughed, "I'm impressed you could make your hair sit down, Mr. Strife. Do either of you know where Aqua is?"

Cloud chuffed and muttered, "It wasn't easy."

Tifa pointed back into the craft room behind her desk, "Aqua's, er, _Alice_ is keeping the kids from taking extra candy from the cubbies, Mr. Cheshire."

Terra removed his top hat and bowed deeply with a wide sweep of the arm, "Thank you very much, madam and monsieur!" He straightened, replaced his hat carefully, and snuck into the craft room. A yelp from Aqua later, followed by laughter, announced that his sneaking abilities were none too shabby.

"Where did you get that costume, Terra?!" the hire hooted.

"That would be a trade secret, my dear Alice," Terra replied, "Now what can I do to help around here? I took the day off work and I don't intend to be kicked out of daycare."

Tifa smiled, always glad to have extra help. After Terra, more kids came in, but Tifa lost track of their costumes. Maybe she'd have them share during circle time. Circle time was a fairly recent activity since the Board of Education said that First Fantasy needed to have more educational aspects. Tifa DID teach the kids how to fight, but apparently that wasn't good enough for the people with money. Since the end of September when she was approached by a holier-than-thou official, Tifa began adding circle time to appease them. Either that, or she would roll in a cube-like TV and put on an old Magic School Bus or Bill Nye the Science Guy VHS. When it was one of those days, the kids knew that they were in for an outdated treat.

Tidus still hadn't made an appearance when Kefka arrived. His aunt quickly dropped off her nephew, and Kefka seemed strangely quiet. He was dressed like the Joker (which was already a bad sign), but while he was being signed in, he stood there quietly smiling (more like smirking). As soon as his aunt said goodbye, he slowly grinned up at Tifa. "Do you want to know how I got these scars?"

"Not particularly," Tifa replied honestly, noting his drawn-on facial scars.

The boy turned and started off to the playroom. "Suit yourself…" he chuckled.

By then, it was almost circle time, so Tifa left her post at the counter and went to the playroom. Tidus probably wasn't going to be there today.

* * *

Once the kids had circled up on Tifa's new, bright blue rug, Tifa announced that they would be sharing what they were dressed as. The kids all seemed to be pleased with this circle activity.

Light, of course, volunteered to start. He bounced up and exclaimed, "I'm Superman!"

"No you're not!" Vaan hollered. "You're just a kid in a costume!"

Light scowled at him. "It's just preteeeeeend…" he scoffed in a sing-song voice.

Once Tifa had those two boys calm down, the boy to Light's left, Bartz, stood up. "I'm Boko!" he yipped. He held up his stuffed chocobo. "And Boko's me."

After Bartz was Luneth, who for some reason had an onion taped onto his hat. "I'm an onion knight!"

After Luneth was Locke. "I'm the red Power Ranger," he said. He decided to add, "The MIGHTY MORPHIN' POWER RANGER."

Claire and Serah were next. They stood up together and Claire decided to announce her and her sister. "I am Dip-per and Se-rah is Ma-bel."

From the other side of the circle, Kadaj gasped and pointed at them. "Kids aren't allowed to watch that show!"

"Who are they, anyway?" a very unamused Snow snorted.

Claire scowled. "Kids are too a-llowed to watch that show! And they are the mys-te-ry twins in Gra-vi-ty Falls! They solve myst-er-ies to-geth-er and find mon-sters! It is the on-ly good show on Dis-ney Cha-nnel."

Tifa was worried when Kadaj shouted his opinions (or maybe his mother's), but if it was on Disney Channel…

"I like Phineas and Ferb…" Firion mumbled.

"That show is not as good as Gra-vi-ty Falls," Claire huffed as she and her sweater-clad sister sat back down.

Lulu was after the Farron sisters. She inoffensively told the kids that she was Sally, the girl from the Nightmare Before Christmas. After her was Terra who accidentally hit Lulu with one of her fairy wings. Lulu grumbled angrily as Terra quietly told the kids, "I'm Tinkerbell."

After Terra was Selphie. She hopped up and accidentally threw a stuffed unicorn into the air. Luckily, she caught it. The gleeful girl grinned at her success. "I'm Agnes! I like unicorns because they're so fluffy I'm gonna die!"

Tifa noticed that the next cluster of kids were dressed strangely, but she was sure that they would inform her in full of what they were. Garnet, Beatrix, Freya, and Adelbert (Tifa wondered how they got him to dress up with them) stood up. Beatrix counted them off and the four of them burst into song. Garnet stood up straight and proud. "We…" she started off.

"Are the Crystal Gems!" Beatrix and Freya continued. Garnet joined in with them for the next line of the song. "We're here to save the day…"

Adelbert chimed in. "And if you think we can't—"

They all sang the rest together. "We'll always find a way! That's why the people of this world believe in…"

"Garnet!" Garnet sang.

"Amethyst!" Beatrix belted.

"And Pearl!" Freya went on.

Adelbert jumped in front of them. "AND STEVEN!"

The Farron sisters, Lulu, Firion, Irvine, Eliha, Petunia, and Golbez started clapping and laughing happily. Even Cloud grinned! He knew what that was from? Tifa would make him explain the song later. Yet again, however, Kadaj pointed his finger. "Kids REALLY aren't supposed to watch that show!"

Aqua clapped. "Bravo for knowing that…" she oohed.

Tifa felt pretty left out at this point. She was definitely going to make Cloud explain everything to her later.

Rinoa was next. Her costume was very confusing. It looked like she was wearing an Iron Man costume, which was fine, but why was she wearing a red and yellow tutu? "I am Princess Iron Man," she informed proudly.

"That's not even a thing!" Zidane booed.

"Then why am I dressed like it?!" Rinoa snubbed. She sat back down crossly. "I am Princess Iron Man and I don't care what you have to say about it!"

"Okay…" Tifa muttered. "Princess Iron Man it is…" She noticed Squall who was trying to hide behind Rinoa's fluffy tutu. "Squall, do you want to share?"

He had been caught! His face blanched and he very slowly stood up. Tifa didn't recognize his costume, but he looked a bit like a lion. Squall anxiously rubbed his arm and had his head down. The other kids had to lean in and pretty much hold their breath to hear what he said.

"I-I'm wl-wLion-o… I'm a-a Thundow Cat…" he almost whispered. Suddenly, he jumped forward and flung out his arm. "WRAWR!" he shouted with a massive amount of energy. When he realized that his roar was definitely louder than what he wanted, he recoiled and flopped back down with his head hanging to hide his blushing face.

A few of the kids giggled at how loud Squall was for once, but it was Zell's turn. He stood up, shirtless and in blue tights, blue and red mask, and a red cape. "NACHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he shouted. A few of the kids and helpers laughed at his impersonation.

Next was Golbez, who wore a Batman costume complete with fake muscles. Of course, Cecil (who wore a sparkly, fluffy blue dress) stood up with his brother. "I'm Batman," Golbez said, making his voice deep and gravelly.

Tifa eyed Cecil. His costume was…unique. She might need to make him change… "And what are you, Cecil?" she asked.

"Cinderella!" he squeaked happily. Some of the kids snickered.

"Cinderella is a girl," Locke pointed out.

Golbez tossed his hand. "Let him be what he wants," he sighed. Under his breath, he muttered, "I tried to make him Robin…"

Zidane stood up. "Well, I like Cinderella!" he announced.

Cecil beamed and adjusted the headband in his shoulder-length white hair. "Yeah!"

After the Harvey brothers, it was Irvine's turn. He told the kids that he was Ash Ketchum. It finally seemed to register to him that Cloud and Tifa were Jessie and James, so he tried to leave, resulting in a small wave of laughter and Sora trotting out to catch the Pokémon master. After Irvine, Fran stood up and announced that she was a ballerina. She looked precious in her pink tutu. She had also taken the time to tie lovely bows around the bases of her long ears. After Fran was Quistis, who wore a curly red wig and a solar system-themed dress. She stood and made sure her Pascal doll didn't fall off her shoulder before announcing proudly that she was Ms. Frizzle. After her was Cobalt who was dressed as Mario. Once the cosplay plumber was done, Kefka stood up. Tifa noted the wide gaps between Cobalt, Kefka and the only one brave enough to choose to sit next to him, Petunia.

Kefka looked over at Golbez as he introduced himself. "I'm the Joker," he said somewhat flatly. What was he plotting? Luckily, he sat down after telling his title. He smiled nicely at Cecil and folded his hands in his lap. The dress-clad boy scooted behind his brother, though his skirt was still largely visible. He gathered it up and vanished behind Golbez, who had spread his cape out to make a better hiding spot for Cecil. Golbez gave Kefka a warning glare.

…Oh boy. Even when Kefka behaves it's unnerving.

Petunia and Eliha stood up together. No surprise; they did everything together. "I'm Bowser," Petunia announced proudly, "He's not a dragon, but he breathes fire, so I still like him." She smacked the turtle-shell belly of her costume happily before turning to Eliha. Unfortunately, Tifa didn't hear Petunia very well; she was busy looking from Eliha to Cloud (Cloud looking just as confused as Tifa was) and back again.

Eliha adjusted her awkwardly spiked wig and planted her hands on her hips, face set in a smile as she looked on the other costumed kids, "I'm _Cloud_. He saved the world _twice_ and so he's the best hero here." She adjusted her purple sweater and thick SOLDIER belt before sitting happily while grinning over at the real Cloud.

Tifa glanced behind her to see a bright pink hue cover her husband's face. He looked away from the group of kids staring at him and scratched his neck bashfully, suddenly very aware of his costume. Cloud had never really considered himself much of a hero; the insurmountable help he had from his friends being the most prominent reason why. And he avoided any camera like a plague when he and his friends had returned from the Northern Crater. Barret had done most of the talking. Eliha didn't seem to notice or care though, because she started explaining to Light why Cloud was better than Superman when the pale child denied her claim. At Tifa's quiet request, Aqua went and stopped the argument before it started. Cloud hesitantly stood and went over to the small girl and asked her something. He was immediately answered with a loud, "Mommy looked at your clothes from some of the times you were on TV and made my costume from that! Do you like it, Cloud? Does it look right? You were in the back, so my Mommy couldn't see you very well…"

He paused awkwardly as his blush grew a bit brighter and Tifa could practically see his thought process: _Um… I don't know, but… She's just a little girl. I don't want to upset her… But why me?!_

He gave something between a nod, a shake of the head, and a shrug before standing and making his way back over to Tifa, blush still in place and pointedly avoiding eye contact with the other children. He sat down in the plastic seat he had pulled over next to Tifa's armchair and nodded his head in an "I know, it's fine," when she rubbed his shoulder sympathetically.

There was a bit of an awkward pause until Firion jumped up and pointed at Irvine. "Hey, wait a minute! Why are you Ash?! He's stupid!" he held up his Charmander plush toy, "Red is way stronger and smarter!"

Irvine jumped to his feet, "Nu-uh!"

"Is too!"

"Hey!" Riku barked at the two kids and pointed at the ground, "Siddown."

"Yes sir." The two boys sat immediately and avoided looking at him. Riku blinked with wide eyes. Why did they listen so easily? His eyes narrowed once more when he remembered his costume. He crossed his arms and turned a stony look at Sora, who started stifling laughter with Kairi.

Kairi carefully wiped a tear from her eye to avoid smearing her eyeliner, "Riku, when you stand like that and glare it makes you look _exactly_ like Shadow."

"Even without the makeup!" Sora chimed in.

"And your hair is already spikey, and Sora can never beat you in a race-"

"Heeey!"

"It's true!"

"I know…but I beat him that one time…"

A smile crept onto Riku's face despite himself. "…Shut up, Amy."

Kairi's hands flew to her hips. "I was only Amy because she's the only girl in the main group! I don't even like her!"

Terra started laughing from deep in his belly, "Hedgehogs, be calm. The kids still need to finish so they can be freed."

Sora sucked his lips into his mouth and made a fish face before popping them back out and giving a "Gottagofast."

Aqua patted the Cheshire Cat's shoulder in thanks before finding where the circle had broken, "Auron, it's your turn. Go ahead."

The boy stood in a white kimono with gray hemming and placed his hand on the hilt of a toy sword, as if ready to draw it. The 7-year-old cool kid eyed the group without batting an eye. "…They call me Jack."

Golbez' jaw went a little slack. He never would have imagined that a kid could pull of Samurai Jack so well! Jack was even cooler than Batman! Even if the other kids didn't recognize who Auron was dressed as (though most of the grownups were smiling), they knew to stay quiet until Auron sat back down.

When the older boy took his seat, Yuna tugged on his baggy sleeve, "Who's Jack?"

Auron peered at the heterochromatic girl, "…Why don't you tell them who you're dressed up as, instead?"

She blinked before jumping up with an "Okay!" She fixed her fluffy white skirt and belted out, "I'm a bride!"

By then, Tifa was back from the bathroom and inserted a, "That's very nice, Yuna."

Cloud gawked at her. "Where were you and when did you leave?"

"Bathroom," she replied. "I had to pee." She turned back to the kids. Next to Yuna was Zidane, who bounced up and exclaimed that he was Diddy Kong. Luckily he didn't become too theatrical with his pop guns. Next to him was Wakka who just as energetically jumped up. He had a piece of paper taped onto his shirt that said "costume" in backwards, crude letters. He made sure to explain that his mom didn't believe that they were going to dress up today. Once he was done, Vivi struggled to stand. For once, he wasn't wearing his large hat or coat. Tifa noticed the helpers giving him wary glances.

"I'm a heartless," he said meekly. "They're scary."

Riku scoffed and muttered to himself. "That's an understatement."

Sora and Aqua nodded in agreement from their spots on either side of the angsty hedgehog.

Next in line was Snow, who was Master Chief of course. Then it was Vaan. He announced that he was Samus. Petunia shouted, "You know Samus is a girl, right?"

"Nuh-uh!" Vaan protested.

"Yeah," Snow nodded. "I played the whole thing. She's a girl." He bowed his head and grumbled, "It made me really mad…"

Finally, it was the silver triplets' turn. Kadaj explained that they were dressed as three Jenova's Witness prophets. Tifa nodded and pursed her lips. Huh… how typical.

"Okay, is that everyone?" she asked the kids.

Rinoa shook her head and stood up. "No," she stated. "I saw Seifer."

"Yeah," Snow agreed. "He said that he was putting on his costume when I saw him."

Kefka grinned. "He sure is, Miss Strife," he told Tifa in a sickly sweet voice.

Right on cue, the door to the playroom slowly creaked open. What looked like a grimy yellow paw gripped the side of the door. There was heavy breathing. Suddenly, Petunia shrieked and ran for Squall's cabinet. When he realized where she was going, he squeaked and followed her. Once she had closed herself in, Squall tugged on the cabinet handle. That was his spot!

A few of the other kids began scooting closer to one another as the door opened a bit more. There was nervous murmuring. Tifa went to the door, unnerved by the childrens' uneasiness. What exactly could be so scary about Seifer's costume?

Once she approached, the door swung open and the person behind it roared metallically through a voice modifier. There was noisy shrieking from the kids, and the helpers tried to calm them down. Sonic-Sora had hidden in a corner though, so he wasn't helping.

Tifa looked back down at the nappy yellow teddy bear that had walked into the playroom. It was breathing heavily and its head was tilted grotesquely to the side. While it was pretty creepy-looking, Tifa knew that it was only Seifer; he was a bit of a troublemaker. This costume, whatever it was, didn't faze her much.

Kefka alone clapped his hands. "Way. To. Go," he smirked.

Tifa grabbed the large mascot head-mask off of Seifer. He yipped and reached for it. "Aw, c'mon…" he whined.

"Kill it! KILL IT!" Petunia wailed from the cabinet.

"Kids!" Tifa shouted. "It's okay! Look! It's just Seifer." She looked down at the pouting blonde. "Your costume is scaring your friends," she told him. "Would you mind changing? We still have some knight armor from Rinoa's birthday."

"Please change!" Sora yelped from his corner.

Seifer crossed his arms. "But I like my costume," he snubbed. He pointed at Kefka. "He likes it."

_Yeah, but he was Kefka_, Tifa thought. She looked at the mask a bit closer. It looked a bit like an animatronic mask… oh, wait! It was from that horror game! Cloud had downloaded it the previous Halloween and condemned it for its lack of weapons. Being forced into such a defenseless situation had really unsettled him. Tifa would never forget the yelp he made when he died! And he never played again. That memory aside, there was no way that Tifa could convince Seifer to rethink his costume. Well, Roxas had talked Squall into being the prince, so if he were there…

As if on cue, a casually dressed Roxas entered. Tifa accepted his lack of costume. He didn't seem like the type to dress up. Either way, he was there! "Hey, Roxas," she called.

The blonde didn't respond for a moment, and then perked up. "Oh, yeah! What?" he asked.

"You were able to talk Squall into being the prince," she said. She held up the mask. "Can you talk Seifer into being something… a little more family friendly?"

Roxas blinked quietly and then opened his mouth. "Oh…" he said dumbly. Why was he acting so strangely? His mouth twitched like he was trying not to smile. He pulled it off and shrugged, "Um, sure Ms. Strife."

He went over to Seifer and bent down at the waist. "Hey," he began. "You wanna go change?"

Seifer turned his nose up. "Nnnnnyo," he snubbed.

"Uh…please?" he smiled nicely and cocked his head to the side. Sora looked over at his brother and suddenly let out a snort of laughter before covering the lower half of his face with his large hands.

Seifer shook his head. "Uh-uh."

The entry door swung open and the bell jingled violently. "Veeeeeentus!" a voice screamed. Roxas went pale and stood up extremely straight.

Namine, dressed in a sparkly white dress, and a blonde in all black marched in. Namine giggled as her companion grabbed Roxas by the front of the shirt. Odd. Weren't those two dating? Sora burst into laughter and Tifa watched the exchange amusedly. The boy in the black mask sneered at Roxas. "I _thought_ my clothes were missing!" he hissed. "This isn't funny! You went through my things without asking! _Again_!"

"Uh—Ventus! Calm down!" 'Roxas' exclaimed, pushing back on his brother.

"I'm Roxas, you nut!" the black-clad teen hollered. The Roxas impersonator grabbed the black mask, pulled it back and let go so it snapped back on the wearer's face. Fake-Roxas was let go while the other exclaimed in surprise and covered his eyes where the fabric had gone into the large sapphire orbs.

Once those two were calmed down and Sora was done rolling on the floor laughing, the black clad real Roxas (dressed as Westley from the Princess Bride) explained to Tifa that Ventus had decided to be Roxas for Halloween (to which Ventus replied, "Pretty scary, am I right?"). Then the real Roxas introduced Namine as the beautiful Buttercup. Once the explanations were done, Tifa assigned Roxas to transform Golden Freddy into a non-threatening knight. Ventus was assigned to the duty of coaxing Petunia out of the cabinet.

* * *

Tifa began getting worried about Tidus when lunchtime rolled around. He was there every day, but he hadn't made an appearance. She allowed the helpers keep an eye on the lunching kids while she went to check her email. Mrs. Zuzela hadn't emailed. Tifa began to compose one that asked the whereabouts of the toddler when the front door opened roughly and the bell rang. "Teefie!"

The daycare owner looked up to see a small blonde blur sprinting behind the counter to meet her. Tidus grabbed hold onto Tifa's legs and buried his face into her skirt. She looked up again to see who brought the toddler in. A hulking figure stood in front of the entryway, shirtless, tattoed, barefoot, and… did Tifa smell alcohol?

"Um," Tifa frowned. "Mr. Zuzela?"

"You can just call me _Jecht_," the bronze giant boasted as he sauntered up to the counter. He leaned onto it and was not good at disguising his gaze as Tifa set Tidus in her increasingly small lap. Once she found room for him, the toddler flopped his head down onto her built-in pillows and a little onto her swollen abdomen. Tidus was dressed rather… strangely.

Tifa scowled and adjusted her already modest shirt collar. "Why is Tidus coming in so late?"

"Well, Brittany wasn't feeling great, so…" he said, his voice trailing off carelessly.

Tifa could only assume that Tidus's mother had a hangover, but she didn't want to think _that _poorly of her. For all she knew, this… Jecht... was intoxicated as well. He sure smelled like it. "Well…" she stated sternly. Her face was tense, but she tried to keep a polite tone. "It's nice to finally meet you. I've heard a lot about you."

"Yep!" he grunted, lifting his arms above his head. Tifa was hit with an even worse stench. "Star of the Zanarkand Abes, that's me!" He planted his hands on his hips and looked down at Tidus. "I dressed 'em like his favorite athlete, right kid?"

Tidus scowled and hid his face in Tifa's chest.

She lowered her brow. "Wait, I thought that you hadn't been drafted yet?"

He blinked. "Whaddya mean?" he grunted. "I've been on the team for months! Don't you watch blitzball?"

"Your wife said otherwise," Tifa muttered angrily. Where was that fat payment for taking care of their son?

"Wife?" Jecht bumbled. "Oh… uh… oh! Yeah, we're engaged."

_For how long_, Tifa wondered.

"Yeah, she keeps gettin' cold feet, y'know… Well!" he quickly turned around. "I gotta get headed back." He tossed a wave over his shoulder as he walked out.

He was gone before she could say anything more.

Tidus tapped Tifa's collarbone, "Teefie, I'm hungry."

"Really? What have you had to eat today?"

He shrugged and his stomach gurgled. Had he eaten at all?

"Alright, I'll make you a nice big peanut butter and jelly sandwich. How does that sound?"

"Extra peanut butter!" he clapped and bounced for a second until Tifa put a stop to it.

"You have to be careful for my baby, Tidus, ok?"

"Sorry, Teefie. I'll be careful." He hopped down and ran toward the cupboard in his dirty bare feet.

After getting the famished boy fed and watered, Tifa searched her computer for the phone number for CPS. She drummed her fingers on her belly while waiting for the line to be picked up. Once she got past the mechanical operators, a real human greeted her.

"Hello," Tifa started, "I'm calling from First Fantasy Daycare. I'm a bit worried about one of the kids who has been attending for about a year…"

* * *

Outdoor time was a bit chaotic. Kids were playing as whatever character they were. Liono had somehow climbed to the "roof" of the playground, Batman and Joker had gotten into a fight after Joker taunted Cinderella, Princess Iron Man was chasing Diddy Kong, and Ash and Red had gotten into a heated debate about which Pokémon would beat which. The Crystal Gems were fighting Bowser, Master Chief, and Samus. Nacho Libre had Agnes in a headlock. Mario was racing Sonic and Sonic was racing Shadow, but then the chocobo sprinted head-on into Mario resulting in two bloody noses. Shadow won the race… again. They needed back up. And the helpers… well, they needed help.

Tifa was soon on the phone with said back up. Within 15 minutes, a massive yellow bear (luckily not a horror icon) lumbered onto the playground. "BARRET'S HERE!" the red-shirt-clad bear exclaimed.

Tifa grinned. "Barret!" she shouted. "Glad you could make it!" She eyed her friend. "I'm digging the costume. You're a bear, but this time you don't look like you're wearing a marshmallow."

Barret smacked his hand on his stomach. "Yup. I'm stuffed with fluff," he said. "I thought the kids would like it. Anyway, I brought us some kids from the Hundred Acre Hood."

Tifa laughed when she saw Marlene pulling Denzel out of the building. They were dressed as Piglet and Eeyore respectively. "I don't really think Marlene and Denzel are from the hood, but okay," she chortled.

"Shoot, I'm just surprised ya got spike to dress up!" Barret guffawed, pointing at Cloud. The James cosplayer was separating the Joker and Batman. He didn't notice Winnie the Pooh and company enter the scene. "Anyway, whatcha need us to do?"

Tifa gestured to the playground. "Really just make sure that the kids don't beat each other up," she told him. "And… we have a problem child…"

"The Joker?" Barret guessed.

"How did you know?" Tifa asked in awe.

"Cloud texted me this morning. I was coming whether you called me or not," Barret explained.

She lightly punched his arm. "Awwww, you…" she giggled.

Once they were done exchanging formalities, Tifa went back in to grab her snack. Her stomach was gurgling from hunger. She had just eaten lunch! She went to her usual spot on the bench facing the playground and opened her family pack of Oreos. She also uncapped her thermos of milk and stuck a fork into the frosting of one of the cookies. Once she did, she dunked the cookie in the milk and ate the cookie whole. Whenever she swallowed, she set her hands on her stomach. She blinked in surprise and poked at her abdomen. It was so hard! Was this one of those Braxton-Hicks that she read about? Cloud had wanted to feel one! "Cloud!" she shouted. "My stomach is as hard as a rock!"

James perked up from his place near the sparring ring. Batman and Joker were no longer fighting, but he was keeping an eye on them for good measure. Now she had his attention. He came over and felt where she was pointing. "Whoa…" he gasped and ran his hand over the rest of her equally tough stomach. He turned around. "Hey, Barret!"

Barret came from his place by the tire swing. He had been pushing Mabel and Dipper, so they followed him, too. When Marlene and Denzel saw Barret feeling her stomach with the mystery twins, they joined them. The surrounding kids followed. Soon, there was a small crowd around the now anxious Tifa. They only left when the hardness went away from her stomach. A few kids complained how they didn't get to feel it.

* * *

With Barret patrolling the playground, the kids stayed in line. Apparently giant Pooh Bears are more effective at keeping kids under control than a pregnant Jessie. Kefka still shouted insults at Cecil from a distance no matter how much chastising he received, though. Luckily, Golbez stayed near Cinderella, and Zidane hollered back a few zingers to defend his favorite princess. Soon, it was craft time and the kids were taken inside to make paper hats.

The witch hat craft seemed to be a hit! The kids were behaving pretty well since they were so focused on making the coolest headwear. Tifa moved from child to child to praise their work or keep them from over-gluing or cutting themselves. She had to cut for Firion as usual and keep the glue out of Luneth's mouth… as usual. Claire was the first one done. She placed her spider-and-bat-covered hat in her cubby to dry before going back to help with Serah's glitter bomb. Tifa smiled at the cute sisters before looking down at a tug on her shirt.

Irvine handed her a piece of paper with a carefully drawn picture of Meowth's face on it.

"Oh, thank you, Irvine! This is really nice!" Tifa complimented. It actually wasn't that bad at all! The boy had a knack for drawing, it seemed, "I'll go put it up in the front room with the others."

The boy shook his head and smiled, "No, no. That's a costume for your baby, Miss Tifa. I have some tape on it already so you can put it on your shirt."

Tifa blinked before breaking into a huge smile, "Aw, honey, that is so sweet of you! I'll get Meowth dressed right away." She flattened out any small creases in her stretched shirt and stuck the Meowth picture on with pride. "How do I look?"

Irvine laughed, "Good! Well, I'm going to go finish my hat! Let me know if the tape gets un-sticky and I can get more!"

"Well, thank you for making such a lovely costume for my baby to wear. I'll make sure it doesn't get too dirty so I can put it on the wall after today."

The boy nodded and ran back to his chair to finish his hat. Tifa hustled over to her husband, "Cloud! Cloud, look! Irvine made the baby a costume! Isn't it adorable?"

Cloud looked down at Tifa's stomach and chuffed, "That's pretty good."

Tifa snorted and pressed some of Cloud's recovering spikes back flat. James doesn't get frizz. He is far too fabulous for that.

Aqua barked, "Hey! Kefka! What do you think you're doing?"

"Whaaat? I wasn't even doing anything! Unless I'm not allowed to do crafts with everyone else, Miss Aka."

The Cheshire Cat frowned, "Her name's Aqua. It's not that hard to remember."

Aqua shrugged it off and snatched a warm, hidden glue gun from Kefka's lap. "We don't need hot glue guns for the crafts we do. Where did you get it from?"

The other kids paused what they were doing to turn and watch. Kefka shrugged, "Found it."

"Where?"

"My house. Now give it back."

Aqua's eyes lowered. "I'm going to hold onto this until your Aunt comes to pick you up, okay?"

Kefka's face soured. He turned back to his craft with a "Hmph."

Craft time continued without any other issue, and everyone's hats were turning out rather nicely, and other than Luneth getting glue on his everything, there was even relatively little mess outside the realm of glue dots and tiny slivers of paper littering the table and floor. Suddenly Tinkerbelle let out a yelp and fell to the ground with her chair toppling over as well. A few of the kids laughed, Kefka obviously gleaning more enjoyment than the rest, as the little girl started crying.

"Someone glued my hair to the chair…!" she wailed. Locke and Auron immediately joined Aqua as she rushed over to verify the state of Terra's hair.

"Oh, honey!" the helper exclaimed in pity when she saw the tangled mess stuck underneath the lip of the plastic chair Terra had sat in. Tifa came over and reacted similarly while the girl continued to cry.

Kefka was the only one still laughing.

Tifa stood and eyed him. "Kefka?"

His laughter vanished, though a cruel smile still remained, "Yes, ma'am?" he asked calmly.

"Is this why you had a hot glue gun?"

He shook his head. "It wasn't for her originally. Cinderella just wasn't being left alone today is all."

Cecil's face puckered in worry and he checked his hair for glue.

Tifa closed her eyes in irritation. _Why_, Kefka? Just _why_?

"Tifa, I got Terra's hair off of the chair, but the glue is still sticky. He put Elmer's on top of the hot glue."

Again. _WHY_?

Locke took the two steps between him and Kefka and threw a sloppy punch at Joker's face (being dodged as usual). "What the heck, Kefka?! Why are you so mean to everyone?! Say sorry to Terra!"

Kefka's mouth pursed into a resolute scowl, "I hate brats like you the most." The beginnings of magic started pooling in his hands.

And was interrupted by Cloud scooping Kefka up around the middle and ignoring the kid's screeching disapproval. He stood up straight and tossed the boy over his shoulder. "Cool down, kid. Throwing a fit won't get you anywhere." He cast Silence on the blond since it had obviously begun to wear off, then turned to Tifa with a question in his eye.

She pointed to the small yellow chair in the corner, "20 minutes."

He nodded and walked the screaming Kefka over to the timeout chair and plopped him down, but didn't budge an inch afterwards except to stop Kefka's escape attempts. Meanwhile, Aqua had taken Terra to the sink in the infirmary to try and wash the glue out. Tifa let the rest of the kids have free time with supervision from her helpers and started wandering around to patrol.

"Mama! Mama! Look at my hat!" a loud voice hollered up from below.

Tifa knelt down, "Ooh. That's very decorated, Zell. I like your stickers."

The boy beamed and wrapped his arms around as much of Tifa as he could manage. He peered up at her with giant blue eyes, "Pick me up?"

"What do you say?"

"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaase?"

* * *

After a while, it was time for Tifa's volunteers to trade shifts. Riku, Sora, and Kairi would be replaced with Isa and Lea as soon as the two college students arrived. What Tifa did not expect was for Lea to come in wearing a fat suit with giant underwear sewn onto it, a bald cap, and a red towel tied around his shoulders. The kids loved it, though! They were running around chanting "Captain Underpants" for the next 10 minutes! Unfortunately Isa didn't have a costume, but that was only to be expected. Isa seemed far less likely to dress up than even Roxas (and Tifa had suspicions that Namine had talked her boyfriend into dressing up).

* * *

As usual, Kefka was keeping a low profile for a while after acting up. He was currently playing by himself on the swings, and this didn't change when Zack showed up dressed as Austin Powers. Aerith had arrived alongside him wearing a cute Union Jack dress with tall white boots. She had also worn her hair down for what seemed the first time ever and was holding it back with a Union Jack headband.

As soon as he entered, Zack swung his arms out and shouted, "Hey, bay-bee!"

Tifa immediately put down Zell and rushed over to the couple. Their costume, however clever, was far too inappropriate for a daycare. "What are you doing?" she hissed.

"Just comin' to check out the_ grooviest_ people at the _grooviest_ place in town!" Zack followed up loudly. Aerith nodded happily.

Tifa sighed and rubbed her brow. "Alright, just… please don't stay in character," she told them.

Aerith scowled and lightly hit her fiancée in the arm. "See!?" she hissed. "I told you we should've gone with the Raggedy Ann and Andy costumes!"

The puppy slumped. "Aww, but they're not relevant!" he whined.

"Relevant to what?!" Tifa exclaimed. "They're timeless!"

Aerith pointed at Tifa. "She gets it!"

"But… but… I wanted to be something cool," Zack blubbered.

"I suggested cool things," Aerith argued. "You said no to Ruby and Sapphire!"

"But they're both girls," Zack retorted. "I can't be a girl."

"No, gems are genderless," Aerith corrected. She turned to Tifa when she noticed that the daycare owner looked confused. "It's a cartoon… you don't really watch cartoons."

Tifa narrowed her eyes. "Is it that Steven Universe show?" she asked. "There's a bunch of kids dressed like characters in it."

Aerith gasped and slapped her face with her hands. "Really? Aw, that's precious!" she yipped. Tifa really had to look into this show. It was like everyone but her knew about it.

Tifa crossed her arms. "So… did Cloud call you?" she asked.

"No," Zack replied. "We were gonna surprise you guys. Looks like it worked!"

"Do you need any help today?" Aerith asked.

"Always," Tifa grinned. "There's a lot of kids."

"That means it'll be even more fun!" Zack chirped. He zipped to the playroom. Aerith followed after him to make sure that he didn't get into any trouble.

From inside the room, an ecstatic Snow belted "Zack's here!"

"Yeah, baybee! And I'm here to stay!"

A loud thumping at the window announced everyone in the room to look at Barret. The large Pooh Bear waved a massive hand, "Hey, Aerith! I found a place that would be good for caterin'! I'll tell you more when we're in the same room, awright?!"

Aerith laughed and nodded before Barret lumbered away, revealing a spidermonkey-esque Zell clinging to the large man's back.

Back in the playroom, Cloud felt a tug on his pant leg, followed shortly by an "Uppie, Croud!"

He blinked and looked down. Tidus was holding onto Cloud's pants with one hand and holding his other hand high in the air.

"Up!" The toddler commanded once more.

"…Why?"

"Up!"

"…"

Tidus started climbing Cloud's pants, so the older man was forced to pick him up, lest his underwear be put on display for everyone in the room. But when Cloud put the kid on his hip (heavily mimicking Tifa's stance) the boy starting trying to climb up higher. Cloud's brow furrowed.

"What do you want, kid?" he asked a bit impatiently.

"Up!"

Cloud shoved a small hand out of his face and put Tidus on his shoulders in an attempt to get the kid high enough to be quiet. It apparently did the trick because Tidus flopped forward over Cloud's head as soon as he was up on his perch. Cloud heard a small chuckle and looked over to find a grinning Aqua, who left the room after being noticed. Tifa came in a moment later and smiled.

"I see that you're still Tidus' favorite," she noted warmly. Cloud shrugged carefully.

* * *

Kefka snuck another glue bottle from the box full of Elmer's and stuck it behind the bookcase with the rest of his stash. He only needed a few more bottles now.

* * *

Tifa was sitting outside and watching everyone play. She had made sure Aqua was keeping at least one eye on Kefka wherever he was, so that should hopefully keep him from doing anything too evil. She understood that there was still time to do minor damage, but no ponytails could be completely cut off. She adjusted somewhat uncomfortably when the baby moved around and ended up kicking Tifa in the ribs. The baby wiggled a bit more after Tifa moved, and she was pretty sure she felt an elbow and feet poke into her uterus. Tifa rubbed her belly and wondered what it was like in there. Sometimes the baby didn't move very much and it worried her, but today the baby was much more active than normal. Maybe it was from the Braxton Hicks earlier. And she had had another one early that morning, too.

She started poking her fingers hard into her stomach area to feel where her baby's lumps and bumps were. Their head was pointing horizontally to her right, the knees were right behind Tifa's protruding bellybutton, and the feet were curled up out of reach. She went back to the baby's head and started rubbing gently. "Hey little one. You know, you're very active today. That's good. It lets mommy know that you're nice and healthy. But don't keep kicking until you give me aches, because mommy doesn't appreciate that."

Someone came up behind Tifa and rested their chin on her head.

"Talking to your bump again, mommy?" Aerith teased lightheartedly.

Tifa laughed, "Shut up. You'll talk to your eventual bump just as much if not more. You already talk to flowers, Mother Gaia!"

"And I thought you said we were going to synchronize our first pregnancies anyways?"

"Well if you and Zack didn't take so long to get married…!"

"I'm sorry! Our schedules keep clashing…" Aerith mumbled.

"What schedules?!" Tifa chuffed.

"And then his mom got sick…"

"When did that happen?"

"Uh. I mean my mom got sick."

"You would have mentioned it to me and I would have helped out."

"Then Zack's dad got sick…"

"…"

"His dog died?!"

"…Zack never had a dog. His nickname is Zack the _puppy_."

"…You have to promise not to laugh."

Tifa leaned her head to the side. "Why?"

Aerith went around to Tifa's right and whispered in her ear. "Zack and I haven't ever… you know…"

"So? Neither had Cloud and I before we got married."

"Well, I mean. Weren't you freaked out by it?"

"Uhm…no. Not really. It's just a thing that people do. Didn't you ever have sex ed class in school?"

"I was homeschooled, Tifa."

"Oh, right… And Zack's afraid of it, too?"

"Yeah."

Tifa eyed the man dressed up as AUSTIN POWERS. "Seriously…?"

"Yes! You can ask him yourself on your own, or get Cloud to ask."

"…Ya'll are both older than us!"

"I know! But that's why we've been engaged for so long!"

Tifa smiled and hugged her friend, "Awww. Aerith, you have got to be the purest person I've ever known."

The flower girl laughed. "It can be a bother sometimes, to be honest."

Suddenly, Tifa had the sensation that she needed to go to the bathroom NOW or she would flat-out wet herself. "I need to pee _now_." She stood and hustled inside with her legs stuck tight together and managed to reach the bathroom before springing too severe a leak. When she reached past her stomach to wipe, she noticed that it was once again as hard as a rock. This was the third time today! And why hadn't she needed to pee so badly for the other two! Agh, whatever. She finished and left the bathroom to go and sit, continuously poking her diamond-coated abdomen because the toughness was so odd.

When she got to her armchair in the playroom, Serah noticed the daycare owner's fascination with her stomach. She trotted over with Claire keeping an eye on her from the book corner.

The little pinkie caught Tifa's attention and she adjusted herself so that her stomach was more accessible. "Wanna feel, Serah? You didn't get a turn earlier today."

Serah broke into a wide smile and chirped, "Yes, please!"

Tifa took the little girl's outstretched hands and held them to her stomach. Zidane noticed the display and ran outside to tell Cecil, who also hadn't gotten a turn. So Tifa wasn't pleased or surprised when more or less the entire daycare once again ended up gathered around Tifa to have a turn touching her tight tummy.

Isa forced everyone into a line with help from Lea, Aqua, Ventus, Terra, Marlene, and Denzel, but it wasn't going to calm down until Tifa's body returned to its boring old self. At least Tifa had several…lets be honest…bouncers to keep the kids in line. Barret was very good at his job, and a couple of ex-SOLDIERs didn't hurt any. Aerith hung around next to Tifa to help keep her from getting nervous.

It's sad that all this is necessary.

* * *

Finally! Everyone was gathered inside which was perfect. That's where Kefka's glue pile was. Not to mention, Silence had finally worn off so he was able to combine all the glue into a large floating ball without coating himself. He kept a low profile from under the table (which was covered in a plastic tablecloth). He couldn't strike just yet, though. He peeked out from a fold in the tablecloth. It allowed him to see out into the playroom. While he carefully kept the floating ball of Elmer's in tact, he noticed Luneth. That kid enjoyed the taste of glue. Kefka noted that from the craft.

Everyone was facing the daycare owner, interested in her stupid unborn baby holder. Kefka scowled at how easily amused these other kids were. So her stomach was hard! You know what else gets hard? Glue. Since no one was looking, Kefka slowly began easing the ball out from under the table. Once it was out, he noticed Luneth break into a large yawn.

Perfect.

Suddenly, the mass of sticky white exploded. Kefka took cover under the tablecloth and table while everyone became covered in the white mess. There were loud shrieks and hollers from all that the bomb hit—which was everyone. Kefka bit his lip, trying not to laugh. He hoped that he would get banned from the daycare after this stunt. It was too beautiful to have no effect.

Suddenly, a large hand grabbed the back of Kefka's purple jacket and yanked him out from under the table.

* * *

Aqua immediately cast Silence while Barret held up the struggling Kefka. The child couldn't help but laugh, giving himself away. Tifa was livid. By the time she reached Barret and the helpers, eight children had informed her that their costumes had been ruined… as well as their hair. Light was the most upset.

Tifa finally reached the dangling Kefka who smiled at her. "That's what you get for not letting me tell you how I got these scars," he snickered, pointing to his face.

Before she could even say anything, Barret was already carrying the child away. Pooh was sticky, but not with honey. That in itself was unacceptable. Tifa followed, curious to see what would happen.

Barret had slammed the door to the quiet room to have a little talk with the Joker. The quiet room was not so quiet, but Tifa could hear every syllable. Cloud had joined her outside the door. He looked even paler with all that glue. When she acknowledged him, he waved. "My friends call me sour cream," he smirked.

Tifa smirked and started guiding Cloud back into the playroom to begin the cleanup process, but not before Barret's voice made its way through the door. After hearing Barret's start, Tifa decided to stay behind to make sure Winnie the Grizzly Bear didn't go absolutely over the edge.

"Now listen here, you lil' shit," Barret snarled. "I wadn't here lass time you was, but Spike tol' me plenny. So you think you're real funny, huh? Goin' round makin' pranks and actin' a fool. It stops now, Joker-shit. I'm sicka people like you, and I've had it up to here with goddam tricks and antics from lil' punk-asses like yourself."

"But I—"

"Shut your ass up," Angry Pooh Bear continued dangerously. "This attitude ain't gonna get you nowhere in life! As you are now, you're a brat of a kid. Keep it up and you'll be the shittiest excuse of an adult I ever seen. Clean yo' act up or you're gonna run into fellas who'll mess you up more'n I am! Shit, you keep it up and some otha punk-ass is gonna get pissed off at your bigheaded self and he'll put a bullet in yo' head! Now you's gonna go out and buy enough glue so you can repay Tifa for what she's lost cuz o' you, an you're gonna go apologize! Got it?"

The suddenly tiny boy nodded, "Y-yes."

"Yes _what_?"

"Sir!" he yelped, "Yes Mr. Pooh Bear sir!"

A pleasant smile warmed Barret's face and the grizzly bear exterior retreated, leaving the large man as harmless as Winnie the Pooh once more, "That's what I thought." He reached for the Hunny jar he brought with him and produced a bag of Teddy Grahams from within. He tossed a few into his mouth before offering a small handful to Kefka. "Teddy Graham?"

"N-no thanks."

Barret raised an eyebrow, "You sure?"

Kefka's hand shot out and Barret turned the little bear crackers into the boy's palm. He ate the handful immediately, "Thank you for the Teddy Grahams, Mr. Pooh Bear sir!"

Barret smiled once more before standing, ruffling Kefka's hair, and opening the door to the office, "I'm glad we had this talk. You be on your way, now."

Kefka bolted from the room and ran into Tifa halfway to the playroom. He pulled himself free of her glue-covered exterior and looked up before his lip started quivering. His face contorted into a tight ball before an extremely forced, "I'msorryIexplodedglueoneveryone," escaped him.

Well at least he apologized. You gotta start somewhere.

Tifa nodded, "Thank you for apologizing, Kefka. Would you mind helping everyone clean up the glue? Luneth is still busy getting his mouth rinsed out by Miss Aqua."

Kefka nodded and ran inside to grab one of the mops to start helping the cleanup.

* * *

While kids were being rotated in and out of the playroom to be washed off outside, parents started arriving to pick up their sticky little babies. Tifa had Kefka explain to any parents who were worried exactly why their child was or had been covered in glue. What surprised the daycare owner was that the 6-year-old demon prankster took it upon himself to apologize to everyone who asked about the incident, even though it seemed to cause him great discomfort to do so.

Just like last month, Mrs. Palazzo arrived precisely at 3:00 to pick up her nephew. Kefka was surprisingly well behaved and left without any problems. However, Tifa did pull aside his aunt to explain that she was not going to allow Kefka to return. His aunt understood completely although she was disappointed that she lost yet another caretaker for her terrible nephew.

The other kids left without many issues. Tifa had to warn Seifer's mother about her son's first costume. His mother had no idea; his father helped him make it. A few parents (especially Light's) were upset about the glue but tried their best to mask their feelings. Tidus's mom showed up at a godly hour luckily, but she didn't look too great. Tifa didn't show any hint that she had called anyone about Tidus's state.

Finally, it was time to go. Since there were a few mages among the helpers, the glue got cleaned up quickly. However, they were all going to have to shower. Not to mention their costumes were kind of ruined. Magic can't fix everything after all.

* * *

Once Cloud and Tifa had showered and gotten into bed, Tifa put their laptop on her lap. She looked at Cloud expectantly once she pulled up Youtube.

"Okay," she told him. "You've gotta show me what that Steven Universe show is. Everyone seemed to be a big fan and I'm the only one who doesn't know about it."

Cloud frowned. "I think that you should wait till you have the baby," he warned. When Tifa gave him a pout, he followed up. "It's a really emotional show… and motherly love… and it's way too cute."

Tifa rolled her eyes. "Then at least show me the first episode."

Cloud sighed and took the laptop. He pulled up the best quality bootleg version of the first episode. "Okay then…"

* * *

Thank you for reading! I would say that I'll have the next one out soon, but I don't want to potentially lie to anyone who has read this much, haha... :/

Also, thanks to KROW the intern for writing much of this month! I do promise to write the vast majority of next month :)

THANK YOU!


	8. Month 7

Hello, lovelies! Month 7 is finally here! Tifa is starting to get really ready to have this kid, I think :) I'll try not to prolong her discomfort too much, haha

* * *

Month 7

* * *

Cloud pushed Tifa's shoulder back down when she tried to roll out of bed at sometime too early in the morning. "I got'm…" the blond mumbled. Tifa closed her eyes and went back to sleep while Cloud got out of bed. He went over the doorframe and knelt down, "Wha-" he was interrupted by a huge yawn, "-at is it, Tidus?"

The little boy wrung his hands together anxiously. "I had a accident…"

Cloud shook his head, "Don't worry. We got you a special mattress, remember?" He stood with a groan and stretch before taking Tidus' small hand. "Let's get you changed and you can sleep with me and Tifa. You need to go potty, still?" Cloud stopped short and blinked. Did he really just ask if Tidus needed to go "potty"? Good thing Tifa was asleep or he would have felt another goofy grin aimed his way. Ever since she had started watching Steven Universe, Mrs. Strife had been nesting like no one's business. Cloud blamed Rose, but what do you do? At least the nursery was done now.

Tidus nodded and held onto Cloud's hand tightly as the pair walked down the hall. Cloud glanced down at the little boy and his brow furrowed again in confusion. Tidus had wet the bed the first night Tifa and Cloud had been in charge of him, too. Both temporary guardians/parents-to-be had worked to get everything cleaned up, but Tidus had started crying when Cloud left the room to bring the wet sheets to the laundry room. Tifa hadn't been able to calm him down until Cloud came back. They didn't know what to make of it then, but maybe Tidus had wanted Cloud to stay? He was a lot calmer this time.

…Nah. He was probably upset from being separated from his house and parents. It's a pretty confusing thing to deal with. Any 3-year-old would cry.

Cloud removed the pee-stained sheets and took the toddler to the bathroom before slipping a new pair of Pampers on him, letting Tidus pick out _one_ toy (which turned into two), and going back to his and Tifa's room to sleep.

* * *

"It got out of his Pampers _again_?" Tifa chuckled at breakfast that morning. Tidus was busy mastering the art of the fork and so had no time to bother listening to the conversation.

Half of Cloud's mouth turned up in a smile and he shrugged, "I don't know how, but yeah. I already put the sheets in the washer and started it."

"Was it a lot?"

Cloud shrugged, "For his size, I guess."

"Did you wipe off the plastic lining?"

"Not yet."

Tifa nodded, pushed herself to a standing position, and picked up her plate. "Ok. I'll go ahead and do that when I go up to change. Aerith and Zack are still going to the beach with us later, right?"

Tidus flung his fork and bits of scrambled egg, "Beach! Beach!"

Cloud rolled his eyes good-naturedly, "Yeah, the beach. You like swimming, huh?"

"Swimming! I wanna swim, Croud!"

Cloud picked up the fork and wiped up the egg bits before addressing Tifa once more, "Yeah. Leon's coming, too. They're meeting us at the Fish Shack for lunch."

Tifa nodded and leaned back against the countertop with her hands on her belly, "Okay. Well, I'm gonna go get dressed. More and more I feel like I'm wearing sacks instead of shirts, though," she added with a tired laugh, "I feel really freaking big for 7 months."

Cloud shrugged awkwardly. What could he even say in this situation? "Sorry…?"

She waved her hand, "No. It's my genes. Mom would always tell me what a big baby I was. And the doctor did say that I was measuring 2 weeks big."

Cloud chuffed, "If you didn't know better, you might think I was born the size of a thumb. My mom was always telling me how tiny I was."

Tifa laughed, "I remember that! Now why couldn't our kid have taken your tiny baby genetics, instead?"

Cloud lifted a squirming Tidus out of his highchair, "I don't know. If I could have chosen that trait to be passed on then I would have."

Tifa smiled and walked over to give Cloud a kiss, "I know. I'll be right back, so keep that little one out of trouble."

Tidus laughed and put his hands on Tifa's face. She blew a raspberry into his palm before making her way upstairs. Cloud looked at the little boy on his hip and his face gradually grew befuddled. He had never considered himself to have a strong paternal instinct. Even now he was mostly copying Tifa. So why did Tidus seem to like Cloud more than he liked Tifa anymore? There had been several times when the kid had been whining in the past week and would only stop if Cloud put him up on his shoulders. And that would only happen after Tifa tried her best to appease the boy. And just now, if Tifa had been holding Tidus instead of Cloud, Tidus probably would have leaned toward the older man for a switch like usual.

"Can we go swimming now?" Tidus asked excitedly.

Cloud set the kid down. "No. We're going after lunch."

Tidus' round face deflated, "Aw…"

* * *

After Tifa didn't come downstairs for _much _longer than it took to change, Cloud hoisted Tidus up onto his shoulders (much to the child's delight) and went up to check on her. What alarmed and kind of really freaked him out was that Tifa was obviously crying when he got within earshot of the bedroom door. He hustled up the rest of the stairs, careful not to let Tidus fall, and ran to the bedroom in a few long strides. Upon looking inside, Tifa was sitting in bed crying at the laptop and Cloud could hear Rose Quartz's voice coming from the device. Cloud smiled and shook his head, knowing immediately which episode this had to be.

"Lion 3?" he asked.

Tifa turned towards him, paused the video, and wiped her face, but couldn't seem to stop crying. "Ruh-Roose loves St-St-e-ve-en sso mu-u-ucchh…!" she sobbed.

Cloud set Tidus down on the bed and the boy crawled over to cuddle next to the crying woman. She hugged him close with one arm and wrapped the other around her stomach. "I want t-o-o-o h-hold my ba-aby…!" she continued.

Cloud walked around the bed to sit on Tifa's other side, taking care to close the laptop displaying the frozen picture of a largely pregnant Rose Quartz in her home video to Steven. That video was sentimental enough to the average viewer. Cloud didn't want to imagine what Tifa had seen through her pregnancy goggles. He put his hand on the back of her head and started running his thumb through her hair, "I think Steven should wait until you have the baby. You scared me."

"I-I'm sorry…" she wiped her face again only to have the tears immediately replace themselves. At least her voice was mostly under control now. Cloud's chest hurt watching her cry. He pulled her head over and kissed her temple. She gave him a kiss before wiping her face once more and taking a calming breath, "Okay. I'm good. No more crying about St-even. But that video seriously hit me right in the pregnancy. Oof, Tidus, could you get off of me, please?"

"Sorry, Teefie." The boy finished crawling over and took his 36-pound self off of Tifa's thigh and stomach region.

Cloud got out of bed and pulled Tifa to her feet before crossing the room to get changed. Tifa took Tidus to the nursery (his bedroom until his parents convinced CPS that they could take care of a child) to get dressed as well. When she passed Cloud, Tifa gave him a quick hug. "Thanks for being the best husband."

Said husband blinked. "What did I do?"

Tifa laughed, "Nothing. Just being your usual sweet self."

"Oh." He smirked. "I've lost my edge. I haven't been 'sweet' since I was a kid."

Tifa shrugged. "It's probably because you've been around so many kids lately. You've been coming by First Fantasy way more often since I got pregnant."

"And it's a good thing, too."

"Teefiiieeeee…" Tidus interrupted.

"I know, I know." She took his hand.

Cloud finished hopping into his jeans and grabbed a t-shirt as the pair left the room, "I'll be downstairs."

"'Kay."

* * *

In the car on the way to the beach, Tidus wouldn't stop bouncing and squealing. How disappointed would he be when he learned that he had to eat first?

Cloud parked the car and worked at getting Tidus out of those straight-jacket inspired car seats while Tifa gathered everyone's things. A low rumbling pulled into the parking lot and the rider took off his helmet, revealing Leon with somehow still perfect hair. He turned off the machine and walked over just as Cloud straightened and put Tidus up on his shoulders.

The brunette smirked and shook his head. Cloud rolled his eyes, "Shut up."

"Didn't say anything, Dad."

Cloud raised an eyebrow and stated off-handedly, "Did you hear the news? Fed-ex and UPS are merging. They're going to go by the name Fed-up from now on."

Tifa snorted and started laughing loudly while Leon groaned and smacked his hand into his forehead with an "Oh God,_ nooo_."

Tifa looked over at Cloud, "How long have you been holding onto that!"

Cloud looked down and tapped his foot in thought, "About two weeks?"

Tifa squished her cheeks together and puckered her lips, "Aaaaaw, honey. Your first Dad joke," she cooed.

Leon started walking with a sigh. "I'll be inside. Zack and Aerith are here already."

Cloud couldn't conceal a wide smile as he and Tifa walked inside to meet their friends.

Zack stood and waved when he saw everyone walk in. Once they had taken a seat, he raised an eyebrow at Cloud. "I haven't seen that face since you announced that Tifa was pregnant. What's with the goofy grin?"

Leon crossed his arms, "Cloud said his first Dad joke."

Zack barked out a laugh while Aerith started giggling, "Seriously, Spike?" Zack started, "That is _awesome_! Tell it to me!"

Cloud wrinkled his nose. "It wouldn't be good the second time, though."

The puppy sighed, "Aww. Why do you have to turn funny when I'm not around, huh?" His face suddenly brightened like he remembered something. "Oh! Is it okay if we brought a friend in?"

Tifa furrowed her brow. "Do we know this friend?"

"No," Aerith grumbled. She crossed her arms.

"Who are they?" Leon asked with narrowed eyes.

"His name is Troy," Zack beamed.

"Troy," Tifa echoed skeptically. She immediately pictured a tall, blonde surfer dude. Like Tidus if he were older, maybe. "Where is he?"

Zack grinned. "I'll go get him," he said. He went to the door. "He's in the truck!"

Everyone looked to Aerith while Zack was retrieving this… Troy. "You left him in your truck? Where did you meet him?" Cloud asked.

"…The pound," she said.

"What were you doing at the pound?" Tifa asked.

Suddenly, there were loud screams. A family of tourists was running across the sidewalk in view of the group. A large yellow puppy was chasing them with a wide grin. Zack was bumbling after the dog, grabbing at its bandana. "TROOOOY!" he screamed.

"…We were adopting him," Aerith replied.

Cloud's brow furrowed drastically, "You left a dog in the car? It's really hot today, Aerith."

She waved her hand and glanced outside as Zack hollered a "Gotcha!". She turned back to the others and continued. "He was in the pickup bed, don't worry. Zack even put blankets down so the metal wouldn't get too hot."

Leon leaned back against his chair and avoided Tidus' grabbing hands. "You don't seem too happy to have Troy."

The flower girl sighed, "Zack only asked if it was okay, over the phone mind you, when he was getting the adoption papers signed. You know how hard it is to say no to Zack when he gets that happy, too."

Cloud, Leon, and Tifa all let out a knowing and sympathizing groan as the two puppies came into the apparently dog-friendly restaurant. Zack had produced a leash and had it wrapped securely around his wrist. Troy saw where his new owner was headed and started pulling in the direction of the table. Tidus threw a crayon at the stocky lab pup (resulting immediately in Tifa telling him not to throw things), "Puppy!"

Tifa eyed the three-year-old in her care and turned back to Zack and the bouncing dog, "Zack, are you sure he'll be okay in here? I don't want him to hurt Tidus, and there might be too many smells."

"Oh, yeah! He'll be fine! And if he's not, then I'll just keep him from getting in too much trouble."

Leon looked at the canine distastefully. "You're sure bringing an untrained dog into a busy restaurant is a good idea?"

Troy barked at Leon four times and the man's eyes narrowed in what might have been a challenge. Zack tugged on the leash and shortened it before taking his seat, "Troy, quiet, 'kay?"

But now the gates were open! Troy kept barking in sets of four or five until Zack grabbed the pup's muzzle, "Come on! You have to be quiet so we can eat! Now siddown, boy." Troy tried to get Zack's strong grip off, "Go on. Sit." The dog put his paws up in Zack's lap and started wagging his tail, "Troy, sit." Troy started groaning and complaining, but eventually sat, leaving Zack free to join the conversation once more.

Cloud watched the wagging tail visible beyond Zack's chair, "So… why a dog?"

Aerith looked over at Zack, "Why don't you tell them what you told me?"

Zack snorted a laugh, "Sure. Y'see. Aerith and I figure that we'll be parents eventually, so we thought-"

"You thought."

"I thought. That we would be better parents if we had practiced on a dog."

Tifa leaned her head to the side, "Are you saying Cloud and I will be worse parents due to a lack of pets?"

Aerith shook her head, "It's not exactly a secret that Cloud isn't the most paternal guy."

Zack nudged his fiancé's shoulder, "Yeah, but Tifa's got enough parental instinct for our whole table. Even including Mr. Bachelor."

Leon rolled his eyes.

Tidus thought now would be a good time to chuck another crayon at Leon, who caught it and passed it to Cloud, who didn't give it back to the boy.

* * *

After everyone had finished eating (Tifa and Zack being the only ones to finish their oversized restaurant meals) everyone paid and gathered their things to go to the shore, much to Tidus' delight. Tifa was making sure that he and Troy weren't unsupervised when they were near each other, though.

Once the group had picked out a favorable spot on the beach, Tifa got Tidus into his swim trunks while the others took turns using one of the small changing tents scattered throughout the area. When it was Tifa's turn, she grabbed her bikini and cover-up. She had refused to buy a maternity swimsuit because she wouldn't be able to use it at any other time, but still didn't want to have her belly hanging out for all to see, and so compromised buy buying a nice lacey swimsuit cover that she just wouldn't take off.

Once she had gotten her chest safely hidden in the top and tried to tie it behind her neck, she realized that lifting her arms that much stretched her abdomen uncomfortably, and her fingers were being extremely clumsy. After the thick straps slipped out of her fingers for the third time, she poked her head out of the tent. "Cloud! Can you come here for a sec?" she brought her head back in and fixed the top once more.

A minute or two later, Cloud's voice came through the fabric wall. "What is it?"

She turned her back to the tent flap, "Just come in. I can't tie my bikini top."

Cloud slipped in and made sure the flap was all the way closed before taking the halter straps out of Tifa's hands. Tifa yelped when he pulled the straps back far enough to tie. "Hey, Cloud, not that much. My boobs are coming out the bottom."

"Oh, sorry." He let some of the fabric out through his fingers and tried tying a simple knot with the lesser amount.

Tifa's brow furrowed. "Do you think you could let more fabric loose? It's still kind of tight. I didn't think that pregnancy would make that much difference… I'm sorry."

Cloud shook his head, "I can't let any more out." He put in a small double knot and an, "Oh….huh." were the next things out of his mouth.

"Huh what? Is there something on my back?"

"No. Uh. It's nothing."

Tifa fixed her swimsuit as best she could and pulled her cover-up over her head, "That means it's definitely something." She twisted around (not very effectively) and tried to see her upper back.

He shook his head again and held up a hand in the universal "let it be," sign. "Really Tifa, don't worry about it. Let's go back to the others if you're done changing.

She crossed her arms. "Not until you sell me what you saw!"

He bit the inside of his cheek somewhat anxiously. "Well, um…"

"Um what?"

He looked away from her guiltily, "Um. You've put on a bit of weight…"

Her eyebrows rose and knit together, "Huh?"

Cloud scratched the back of his neck, "That might have been why you had more trouble getting into your suit…"

"I'm fat?" Tifa lifted her arm and poked nervously at her bicep. She hadn't been fat since…well ever!

"That's not what I said." Cloud put his hand on Tifa's back and started leading her out of the tent and back to the others, "You're just…uh…" Oh man, he had never felt so guilty for telling the truth. She wasn't fat, it's just that she had become…squishier. Not as toned, definitely. And she _had_ accumulated some fat since she wasn't working out nearly as much in the last couple months. But what made Cloud feel somehow even guiltier was that he still looked the same as he did 7 months ago. His muscle mass had gone down a little bit from not fighting as much, sure, but he was still working out with Zack and Leon on a regular basis and his Mako enhancements kept him from accumulating much bulk of any kind.

"I'm just pregnant?" Tifa finished.

"…Yeah."

Tifa twisted her fingers together as she and Cloud walked back, suddenly becoming aware of the way more skin would rub against itself with each stride. Cloud saw her increasing discomfort and mentally started beating the hell out of himself for not coming up with something else to say. He wasn't good with being put on the spot! Why did he say anything at all?

When the pair approached, Aerith greeted them with a bright smile and released Tidus, "Tifa, your cover-up is so cute!"

"Thanks." Tifa knelt down and got Tidus onto her hip, then was unable to stand back up. Her face turned beet red and her eyes grew damp. "…Cloud? Can you help me up?" she asked pathetically.

Cloud took her extended hand and helped her to her feet. Tifa wiped her face.

Zack's brow furrowed, "You okay, Teef?"

She nodded and went to sit down. Tidus squirmed into her lap and sat facing her. He leaned his head to the side curiously before leaning forward and resting his ear against Tifa's large stomach. He started patting/smacking her arm in possibly what he thought would be nice.

Cloud sat in the chair next to hers and a slightly uncomfortable silence fell on the group. Finally Aerith broke a piece of the spell, "Does anyone want to go to the water with me? Tifa, I heard that buoyancy feels really nice for any back pain you might have if you want to come along with Tidus." She let out a short laugh, "I just know he's been dying to go swimming all day!"

Tifa looked up with a slightly forced smile, "That sounds _so_ nice. Tidus, you wanna go swimming, honey?"

Tidus jumped off of Tifa's lap and started running to the water as fast as his little clumsy legs would carry him. Unfortunately, he tripped over being 3 and caught a face full of sand. Aerith rushed over as the boy picked his head up and started crying loudly. Tifa and Cloud went to check on him and Cloud started smacking sand off of the kid. Tidus turned to lean against Cloud as the blond continued to get sand off of Tidus' face.

* * *

Zack threw the blitzball he had with him at Cloud somewhat roughly while Troy tried to catch it between his teeth. "So," the tall man started with a smirk after picking the dog up into a rough hug, "What happened to the missus?"

Cloud caught the ball and sighed before tucking it under his arm. "Nothing."

Leon raised an eyebrow. "That so?"

Cloud frowned and threw the ball at Leon, who caught it just as easily as Cloud had.

"It is." Cloud assured flatly.

Zack shrugged, though his face was pointed up to the sky in an attempt to keep Troy from licking his mouth. "Alright, then. I guess Tifa is just to the point where she cries for no reason. Makes sense." He dropped the dog and scrunched the pup's face, "Isn't that right, Troy?" the dog wrenched out of Zack's grip and started barking loudly. He stood on his hind legs and placed his sandy claws on Zack's stomach as if to say "Play with me more!"

Zack obliged and the two went tumbling through the sand, much to Leon and Cloud's displeasure.

"_Zack._" Leon growled as he swiped dirt off the side of his face.

Cloud made his way to the water to get sand out of his trunks. It wasn't much, but it was in the worst spot, of course.

"Awww, did we make puddy-tat and cumulonimbus angry?"

Zack looked up just in time to get a blitzball to the forehead. Leon let out a satisfied chuckle and spat sand out of his mouth. Unfortunately, Troy took this moment to snatch the ball and put a hole in it within a 6-second timeframe.

"Argh, Troooyy!" Zack wailed, "That's not for eating! Give it here."

Troy bounced back and crouched low while his tail started wagging madly. Zack jumped after him and only barely caught the naughty dog. He ripped the mostly deflated toy out of Troy's mouth and tossed it over to their towels and things. Troy swallowed the piece that he had managed to keep between his teeth.

Zack looked at the smiling dog and rubbed his brow, "Ugh, great…"

* * *

Tifa sat in the water and relished the pressure relieved from her spine. She didn't even really have to work at staying afloat either, what with the salt water and all the extra fluid (and apparently fat) that she had accumulated. Hands-down the nicest part was not having to worry about her bladder leaking, though. People peed in the ocean aaaaaalll the time.

Aerith smiled as Tifa drifted near her, "The water feels pretty good, I'm guessing." The flower girl said with a chuckle.

"Oh my God, you have _no_ idea." Tifa laughed back and righted herself to stand on the sandy floor. She took Tidus' hand from where he had been floating next to her and pulled him over. Tifa had been worried when Tidus adamantly refused to wear the life jacket Cloud had gotten for the toddler, but quickly discovered that the boy could already swim without any help at all! He was better at swimming than he was at walking, to be honest! Aerith had been as surprised as Tifa and mentioned that she had never seen such a water baby before.

Tidus started swimming in tight circles around Tifa to keep himself entertained while the women started talking again.

A few minutes later, Tifa noticed Cloud wading over to them. She lifted an arm in a wave, "Over here, skinny-minny!"

Cloud's head dipped low in what was probably a mixture of embarrassment, irritation, and regret. Nevertheless, he continued over to the women and picked Tidus out of the water when the toddler swam over to him.

Aerith's brow furrowed, "That's a new nickname." Her eyebrows rose considerably, "Wait, is this having to do with earlier?"

Cloud looked away and muttered. "I already said sorry…"

Aerith gasped, "Clooouuuud! You know better than to say things like that!"

"Things like what?" The group looked over to see Leon wading over to them, with Zack sorta heading in the same direction. The puppy was struggling to keep his puppy from bothering other swimmers.

Aerith rolled her eyes at her husband-to-be and their new "son" and turned back to the others with a smile and a "What did you do?"

Tifa rested her arms on her protruding stomach, "Cloud just mentioned some things about my weight after I pestered him into doing so. He's right, though." She added with a small pout.

From his distance about 6 feet away, Zack exclaimed, "What the hell, Cloud! You know you're supposed to make something up or change the subject or something!"

Cloud groaned and rubbed a hand across his face. Tifa could just make out a mumble. "I should have known better than to unequip my Luck Plus materia…"

She laughed quietly and rubbed his shoulder. If she hadn't explained, it would have been assumed that he said something worse.

Aerith put her hands on her hips and a mischievous smile curled the corners of her mouth, "Oh, really, Zack? Have you had to use that tactic before?" she teased.

Zack got Troy out of his face and laughed, "Yeah, right. If you were much thinner, I wouldn't be able to see you."

Leon groaned at all the couple's conversations and Cloud bumped him in the arm with a "You're next."

Suddenly, a huge voice boomed out over the water.

"HEEEY, SPIKEY! WHAT'RE YOU DOIN' HERE!"

Everyone on the beach turned to look at the large black man with his two kids making their way into the water.

Cloud sighed, "Why does he always yell at me before anyone else?"

Aerith tugged at the tip of a more prominent spike, "Well, I mean…"

"Spike! Spike!" Tidus echoed.

Cloud's brow furrowed and he gestured around the beach. "Are you freaking kidding me?" Everyone looked around and immediately saw his point. Everywhere you looked, there were young men with elaborate spiked-up hair in various shades of bright blues, pinks, yellows, browns, oranges, greens, blacks, and all-of-the-aboves. Tifa did a quick check for Sora and his brothers, but couldn't find the right combination of brown or blond spikes.

She turned back to Cloud, "Well, you're still one of the original spikey-headed heroes. That must be why Barret can pick you out."

Cloud rolled his eyes. "He's just giving me a hard time. Zack's hair spikes up, too."

"Yeah, but my hair spikes back."

Aerith grinned. "Like a hedgehog."

"Exactly!" Zack laughed.

Barret, Marlene, and Denzel eventually made it over to them. Zack whistled and ruffled Denzel's hair, "Dang, kid. When'd you get so tall?"

The 14-year-old pushed Zack and Troy off of him, "Knock it off, Zack."

Marlene shoved Denzel in the shoulder, "Oh come on, Denzel! You've been grumpy all day!"

* * *

Tifa's brow furrowed and she poked Cloud in the cheek, "Honey, did you put on sunscreen? You're looking a bit pink."

"Hm?" Cloud poked his arm and watched his fingerprint disappear. "Yeah, I did. I don't know why I'm still burning, though. I'll be right back."

"Can you bring Tidus? He needs more sunscreen, too."

Cloud nodded and plucked the 3-year-old out of the water before heading back to the shore. Once he was gone, there was a noisy splash and a "Stop touching my face!" from Denzel.

Everyone looked over and saw that Marlene was practically slapping her hand across his forehead. "Get your hair out of your eyes!" she yipped.

Barret rolled his own eyes but didn't intervene. He must've been used to this. Tifa chuckled and looked over at the teen and tween. "He's so fourteen." she snorted.

"No kidding," Zack grinned. He elbowed Leon. "You know what that's like, don't you, Leon?"

Leon dramatically turned away. "Gah, Zack!" he snapped. "You don't understand! I just need to focus on my art!"

Aerith laughed. "What art?!"

"His hair," Tifa blurted out. Leon flipped his admittedly glorious hair in response.

Meanwhile, Denzel was wading back to shore in a huffy. Marlene was following after him. "Denzeeeeeeellll! Would you quit being such a teenager?!"

Denzel kept his scowl in place and sat under the party's umbrella, probably to keep himself from tanning. Fourteen-year-olds have to keep that skin pale and pasty! He blocked out Marlene's complaining by putting on his headphones and looking through his phone. Marlene kicked sand on him and marched away in a huff.

Speaking of pale and pasty (well, a bit pink at the moment actually) Cloud noticed the pair and frowned at the exchange. He turned away, unsure of what to do. Denzel hadn't ever behaved like this when he and Marlene lived with Cloud and Tifa…it was probably just his age, Cloud reasoned. Cloud had left Nibelheim to join ShinRa when he was 14, after all. He would talk to Denzel after he brought Tidus back to Tifa.

Teen angst aside, Troy had come to see what the spiky blond was up to. The dog gave Cloud a quick sniff before practically tackling Tidus. The toddler squealed and tried to hide behind Cloud, so Cloud pushed the dog off and scooped up the kid before going back to the water. "Zack!" he shouted, ignoring that Troy was licking his heels. Unfortunately, Cloud's voice wasn't nearly loud enough to reach over the crowd and water back to the others, so he grabbed Troy's collar to keep him from wandering off while also keeping him from licking, and started walking back to the shore.

* * *

"Daddy?" Marlene waded over to Barret and tapped his elbow.

"Marlene." He turned his attention from the conversation he was having with Tifa and the others while still letting Tidus cling to one of his thick arms.

The almost 13-year-old crossed her thin arms. "Are all boys stupid? Or is it just Denzel?"

Barret let out a snort and ruffled Marlene's hair, "When I find out, I'll let you know."

"For real, Dad. Denzel's been getting weirder and more angsty for over a month now."

Barret sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, but kept his smirk in place. "I really don't know, sweetheart. Teenagers have a bad habit o' blowin' things outta proportion. He probably imagines that he's the only one in the world that knows what it's like bein' 14."

Marlene let out a snort of laughter similar to Barret's, "I get that much! But do all boys our age do that? A lot at school act the same way."

Barret shrugged, "I guess they do, then. They grow out o' it for the most part, though. Cloud's just an exception."

Zack started laughing and glanced around so he could see Cloud's disapproving face, only to find that the jabbed blond was nowhere to be seen.

Tifa tapped his shoulder and pointed up to the shore, "He's talking to Denzel."

Leon waded over holding a barking Troy by the scruff of the collar, "Zack, watch your dog!" the brunette hollered irritably. "He was bothering some Moombas."

Aerith turned to Zack, "I thought you said you tied him under the umbrella?"

"I did!" Zack cried while he took hold of the pup once again. "How'd you get loose, buddy?" he started laughing when Troy licked his neck and chin, "Aww, you just missed me, huh? Also: What the hell is a Moomba, Leon?"

Leon opened his mouth to explain, but a befuddled look overcame him. "I don't really remember. But the place where they come from really respects them."

"Ah. My bad."

"Heeeeeeeyyy! Is that who I think it is!" a loud voice called from a handful of meters away. Everyone looked over to see Yuffie and somehow Vincent coming towards them. Zack raised his arm in a general wave before pausing and staring pointedly at Yuffie.

"Whaaaa? It can't be little miss Treasure Princess!" he gawked.

She looked over and seemed to just notice Zack for the first time, "AH! You!"

"Yeah me! How've you been, Yuffie? I was worried you'd gotten yourself killed after your last..text…"

Vincent raised an eyebrow at the small Wutaiian next to him but said nothing, then turned to a suddenly quieted Zack, who was staring uneasily at Vincent. The non-vampire's eyebrow rose a second time.

Yuffie, unaware of the exchange, laughed. "Oh god, I haven't gone by _that_ name in years! How've you been, Zack? Hello? Zaaack?" Yuffie's mouth grew thin and she followed the tall man's stare over to the equally tall man standing next to her, "Hey! Quit gawkin' at Vincent, wouldja!"

Zack shook his head, "Uh, sorry." He looked around awkwardly as everyone else came over to talk to the new arrivals. Yuffie happily took Aerith and Tifa's hugs (Yuffie of course making a comment about Tifa's stomach smushing into hers), but Vincent raised his hand in a polite declination. Once everyone seemed to be caught up with each other, Zack pulled Aerith off to the side. Troy reached up to try and lick Aerith's face once they were out of earshot, but she held his head at bay.

"What is it, Zack?"

"What's the story behind your friend Vincent?

"Oh, you haven't actually met Vincent before, have you? Don't worry. He looks a lot scarier than he actually is as long as you're his friend. Troy, _stoooop_." She shoved Troy back onto Zack before noticing something and picking an obviously chewed-through leash out of the water. "So that's how he escaped."

Zack looked at the lead, "Sheesh, Troy." He took the dog and held him somewhat still. "But yeah…" he mumbled, "No, I've met Vincent before. I'm pretty sure."

Aerith leaned her head to the side, "Then why are you so nervous?"

"Well, uh." He glanced around to make sure that no beach-goers were paying attention to them. He turned back to Aerith and started in a somewhat low voice, "You remember when ShinRa sent me, Cloud, and Sephiroth to Nibelheim?"

A small sad frown came across Aerith's face. "How could I forget? I thought I had lost you for good…"

Zack lowered his gaze, "I'm sorry I scared you. But while I was checking out ShinRa mansion before Sephiroth went kookoo, I came across this room with a bunch of coffins in it. The Sahagins down there were carrying keys and-"

"You opened locked caskets in the creepy basement of a creepy abandoned mansion?" Her incredulous eyebrows rose, "Ohhhh…"

Zack nodded and grabbed Troy's muzzle when he started barking. "Yeah. I saw a dude in one of the coffins that looked a _lot_ like your friend Vincent there. He sounded like he was sleeping or something."

"You didn't bother him, did you?"

"No way! I got spooked and closed that damn lid as quietly as possible!"

"Oh, so it was you who opened the coffin." A low voice said behind Zack.

Zack jumped violently and whipped around to stare at Vincent with wide eyes. A muttered "Sorry," escaped him.

Vincent looked at Zack a bit longer before blinking slowly. "I'm not going to hurt you. Calm down."

Yuffie snorted as she neared, "Did you scare Zack, Vincent?"

Vincent glanced over at Yuffie and gave a shrug. Tifa patted Zack's shoulder with a laugh and kept Tidus from trying to climb up Zack's stomach.

Zack's face contorted into an irritated pout and he shrugged Tifa's hand away, "Well excuse me for feeling uneasy about a dude I found in a creepy coffin in a creepy abandoned mansion!"

Cloud arrived back at the group and looked to Tifa for an explanation while Zack continued to give his little rant. By the time he was done, Vincent folded his arms and gave a "I didn't realize I was such an intimidating sleeper."

* * *

Some time later, Tifa pressed her hand to Cloud's cheek, "I told you to put on sunscreen. Did you forget because you were talking to Denzel?"

Cloud's brow furrowed and he looked at his shoulder before groaning, "Oh, _shit_. I swear I put on sunscreen."

Tifa shook her head and took his hand before wading back to the shore. Cloud adjusted Tidus from where the toddler sat on his hip.

On their way to their umbrella, a woman trotted over and waved at Tidus. "Your son is so cute!"

Tifa and Cloud glanced at each other before Tifa leaned her head to the side, "Thank you, but he's not our son." She glanced at Cloud, who shrugged, before deciding to generalize why they had the boy. "We're fostering him. Thank you, though!"

The woman's brow crinkled and she laughed. "Oh, oops. Sorry. Well, uh. How far along are you?"

"Seven months," Tifa replied with a smile. She placed her hand on her belly happily, "Only a couple more months until we get to see what they look like!"

"Oh, twins?"

Tifa blinked and waved her hand, "Oh nonono. We just don't know the baby's sex."

"Ohhh, ok. Well I'll let you go. Congratulations!"

Tifa smiled and gave a wave, "Thank you!"

Tifa looked around and saw that Cloud had taken shelter under an unoccupied umbrella a couple feet away. He turned his eyes back up to her and sighed at the state of his, now rather severe, sunburn.

Tifa waved him over, "Come on. Show me what you used when we get to our things."

* * *

Denzel peered up from his phone at Cloud when the family entered his limited field of view. His eyebrows rose when he saw Cloud's rather red skin. Cloud shook his head at Denzel before going over and picking up a brown bottle of sunscreen and handing it to Tifa.

She looked over it for all of 5 seconds before she covered her mouth and a pity-laden "Ohhhhh…" escaped her.

"That's not sunscreen, is it?" Cloud sighed.

Tifa shook her head.

Cloud sighed heavily. "Of course it isn't. What is it, then?"

"…Suntan lotion…"

"…"

Tifa started digging through her tote bag and produced the large t-shirt she had been wearing before she changed into her swimsuit. Cloud took it and passed Tidus to his wife so he could put on her shirt. While Cloud was working at that, Tifa turned the bottle over in her hand.

"I wonder who's this is? I don't think Aerith would be trying to tan. Zack, maybe? But he already tans pretty easily, doesn't he? And so does Leon. Yuffie and Vincent are out of the question since they didn't put their things with ours." She flipped open the cap and squeezed some of the lotion into her hand. "Oh, I thought you looked kinda shimmery when you came back before!"

"I'm glad you've solved the mystery."

Tifa gave a sheepish smile, "Sorry. Use the sunscreen stick for Tidus' face if you haven't yet. It should be in one of the side pockets of our bag. It's SPF 70."

Cloud nodded and started pushing clothes out of the way.

"Can I use it after you're done? I'm a little burned, too."

"Yeah." Cloud found the stick and rubbed it across his cheekbones, forehead, and ears before passing it to Tifa, who applied it to her and Tidus' faces. Meanwhile, Cloud took a second bottle off the table, checked the SPF count (30), and applied it liberally to his exposed arms and neck.

* * *

Once the trio was back with the others, Cloud folded his arms at the group. "Who the fuck brought suntan lotion?"

Zack snorted out a laugh and Cloud gave him a dirty look. The raven-haired man held up his hands. "Wasn't me. You bring any, Aer?"

She shook her head, "Mm-m."

Cloud then turned his gaze to Barret, dismissed the possibility immediately, and looked at Leon. He raised an eyebrow.

The man in question shrugged. "I just grabbed a bottle."

Tifa set Tidus in the water and kept an eye on him so he couldn't go too far. "Did it have SPF anywhere on it?"

A shrug.

"What color was the bottle?"

"Brown."

Cloud splashed Leon in the face, and the thicker man looked about ready to start a brawl. He wiped his face off and Barret jabbed him in the shoulder when he readied himself to attack back. Unfortunately Leon's cat-like movements outpaced Barret's hulking form and Cloud got an earful of seawater. Tifa saw where this was going and (somewhat reluctantly) took Tidus to swim elsewhere as Leon pounced and shoved Cloud underwater before being pulled under himself. Turned out that Zack was actually the one who pulled Leon under though, and soon the three men had started, and finished, their tussle. Cloud shoved Leon's dripping head to the side before making his way back over to Tifa. Leon was left sputtering and spitting out saltwater.

She smiled at him, "Having fun?"

He scratched the back of his head and wiped water out of his eyes. "He deserved it. I'm gonna be red for weeks." He spat a bit of water out of his mouth.

"I know. We can pick up some of that blue Aloe Vera stuff on our way home. Tidus, stay close to me, okay?"

The boy popped his head up from under the water and blinked water out of his red eyes before swimming back to Cloud and handing him a broken piece of shell.

Within 15 minutes, Cloud had decided that he had had enough beach-time for the day and went back up to the group's umbrella to sit in the shade with Denzel. Zack took that chance to bring Troy back up to the umbrella and tie him in place too, since an adult would be there to watch the pup. A bit later, Tifa joined her husband and was accompanied by Aerith, and the two women started talking with Cloud about some of the final details of the wedding a month from now (not that Cloud had much to say on the matter). Then Marlene came up to join them, which of course meant that Barret was there, too. Zack, Tidus (Tifa had asked if Zack would watch the toddler since Tidus hadn't wanted to leave the water yet), and Leon then showed up with Yuffie, Vincent, and their things.

The group sat and chatted for about an hour more before Tidus started rubbing his eyes and snuggling against Cloud. Cloud passed the child to Tifa and started gathering their things so they could leave. Tifa grabbed a regular pull-up and changed Tidus out of his water-proof one. Yuffie of course made a comment about whether Tifa should be revealing the butt of a 3-year-old. To which Tifa reminded Yuffie that she had a towel-shield, that no one would care, and if Yuffie was so concerned then she could take Tidus to the bathroom herself.

After Cloud finished stuffing his, Tifa's, and Tidus' things back into Tifa's bag, he shouldered it and pulled Tifa to her feet. Tidus dozed against Tifa's shoulder and was very compliant when being buckled into his car seat before Cloud drove them back home.

Once home, Tifa drew a bath and got Tidus cleaned off before getting the sand off of herself and passing the bathroom to Cloud (who ran a very lukewarm bath). After Tifa had gotten Tidus fed, dressed, brushed teeth, and in bed, she knocked on the bathroom door and was answered with a mumbled "You can come in."

"I was just making sure you hadn't fallen asleep."

"I almost did."

"Well get out and put on some pants so I can put the Aloe gel on your shoulders."

"Yeah…"

There was the sound of water sloshing around before the drain was pulled, then more sloshing. Cloud came out a moment later with a towel held around his waist and another sitting over his head and shoulders.

Once Cloud was in some pyjama-shorts, he sat on the bed next to Tifa and turned his angry red back to her. He shivered when Tifa started putting the gel across his particularly burned shoulders.

"That's cold," he yawned.

"A little, but keep in mind that your skin is also burning up."

"Mph…"

Once Tifa had finished with his back, she got one of her loose shirts and waited for Cloud to finish putting the Aloe on the pinker parts of his chest. Once done, Tifa held the shirt open and Cloud slipped into it with minimal contact, then laid flat on his stomach with his arms down by his sides and let out a groan. Tifa laid down next to him and smoothed his hair before yawning, "Goodnight my little pinkie."

"Thanks. Goodnight to you two, too," he mumbled.

* * *

Hello again! This wait was not so bad, I hope! I'll work on the next chapter as quickly as I can, but school is being a lot more time-consuming than I thought it would be this semester! I hope you remain patient with me! Thank you everyone who had read this far, ya'll are all so awesome :D

~Adolis


	9. Month 8

Before we begin, I'm very sorry for the late update. Hopefully it will satisfy your need for toddler versions of your favorite (and least favorite) characters. Also, I've been working on the last few installments of this series so hopefully they will be coming sooner than this one did.

As for the mandatory excuses for this being so late, I was in the Land of Ooo battling monsters and taking down the vampire king (wait, did that happen before my last update? Oops). Then I had to visit family in Gravity Falls (oh, wait, that's already wrapped up and done). Oh, I know! I was helping with the development of Final Fantasy XV! That's the reason that they finally have a release date.

Really, though. College is hard and takes up all the time.

* * *

Month 8

Tifa groaned and flailed her hand around, trying to find the alarm clock, but remembered that she had moved it to sit on top of the dresser since she had started sleeping in too much. There had been two times in the past week that Aqua had had to open First Fantasy and that just couldn't happen, 8 months pregnant or not (even if Aqua said that opening didn't bother her at all). Tifa crawled out of bed and noted that Cloud was already out on delivery. He hadn't been having many early days recently. She stumbled around the house after turning off that horrible alarm and got ready before flopping into the car with a massive yawn and heading to work.

Tifa pulled into the parking lot and noted happily that she had beaten her azure-haired employee. But not by much. Terra's pickup pulled up next to Tifa and the man inside waved while Aqua hopped out the passenger seat. Tifa was starting to wonder about Aqua's lack of self-transportation. Once she pulled herself and her watermelon out of the car, she met Aqua at the door (that Aqua had already unlocked...) as Terra called out a farewell and backed out of the parking lot.

"Morning, Aqua. You're early." Tifa noted with a small smile.

Aqua gave a low laugh and held the door open for Tifa, "I guess so. I just thought it would be a good idea to have more people help open, is all."

Tifa waved her hand and turned on the lights, "I'll be able to come in on time every morning again, so you can stay home until you're scheduled to come."

Aqua finished getting the rest of the lights turned on and met Tifa back at her computer, "No it's ok. It's just…um…I don't want to…I don't want you to become overwhelmed this close to your due date, Mrs. Strife."

Tifa's eyes rose. She thought that had been the cause of Aqua's behavior. "Well thank you for your concern Aqua, but I think I'll be okay if you want to sleep more," she laughed.

Aqua smiled and gave a nod.

Tifa knew that the woman would keep dropping by early. She knew that Aqua would probably object to extra pay, too, but Tifa would feel guilty if she just paid Aqua for her scheduled hours. Tifa finished typing out a final email reminding her kids' parents that she would be leaving at lunchtime for Aerith's wedding, so could they pick up their children by then if they were able. She knew that some of the parents were simply too busy to come get their children, or that their workplaces weren't suitable places for the young ones, so Tifa had let Aerith know that a small handful of daycare-goers might need to come along with Tifa for the wedding. Aerith of course, being the sweet person she was, reaffirmed that she loved kids and had prepared a collection of small dresses and suits for potential flower girls and their companions.

Tifa hit send and turned back to her employee, "So how come Terra always drops you off?"

Aqua blushed faintly and scratched the back of her head, "Our normal modes of transport kinda stand out, but we don't have enough Munny to buy another car yet."

Tifa nodded in understanding, now having an argument for giving Aqua a raise.

Tidus pushed the door open with the help of his mother, "Teefiiiiieeee!" he squealed before sprinting behind her desk and hugging her knees. "Croud? Croud?" he started repeating.

Tifa ruffled his hair, "Cloud's busy. He out working right now. How're you, Ms. Zuzela?"

Brittany (not actually taken the name "Zuzela" yet, but Tifa didn't know her maiden name, so…) smiled and called Tidus over to her. The boy left Tifa and ran to cling to his mother's legs instead. "I'm good! But how have you been? I remember being that pregnant with Tidus. _Not _fun," she laughed sympathetically. It was times like this that reminded Tifa that Brittany was about 8 years her junior, but she didn't say anything.

Tifa grinned and ran a hand across her rather large stomach-melon. "It doesn't help that the doctor thinks the baby could be anywhere between 8 and 10 pounds."

Ms. Zuzela grimaced, "Ooh, good luck."

Tifa laughed sadly, "Thanks."

"Well, I should get going. I'll try to be back by lunch to get Tidus, ok?"

"Great, thanks!"

"Tidus! Gimme a kiss before I leave, 'kay?" she knelt down and accepted Tidus' slobbery baby-kiss before standing and leaving.

Tifa waved as the young mother left the building and got back in her car. She seemed to be doing much better with her son. At least while Tifa was in the same room. But the properly-dressed Tidus had run into the back room to play without complaining of an empty stomach or clinging to Tifa excessively, so he must be getting batter care at home, too.

Tifa was sending the last of the emails when she heard an unfamiliar voice outside singing a song. "BAHNEY IS A DINOSAUR—" the chimes on the door jingled whenever a mother and her son came in. "—FROM OUR IMAGIN-A-SHUN!" Tifa was stunned to see Squall bounding in. His mother, Raine, smiled down at him before addressing Tifa. His voice sounded a bit… British… for some reason.

"Wow," Tifa muttered to Raine, a bit taken aback. "I've never seen Squall so lively!"

Squall got on his tip-toes, trying to look up at the daycare owner. "'ello!" he greeted.

Tifa leaned over to look at the beaming Squall. "Hello!" she echoed back to him.

Raine giggled. "I've been taking him to my friend who's a speech therapist," she explained. "After a few meetings, I can't get him to stop talking!"

Squall grinned and bit his slightly outstretched tongue. "I kin halk!" he yipped.

Tifa nodded at him. "I see! Good for you, baby!" she said. She turned back to Raine. "And you emailed me saying that you couldn't pick him up until the end of the day, right?"

Raine nodded with pursed lips. "Yeah, sorry," she said. "My boss doesn't really like kids."

"I'm not a kid or a bay-bee," Squall snipped. "I'm a Squall."

Raine nodded apologetically, "Ah, right. I'm sorry, sweetie." She reached down and smoothed her son's hair while he turned and buried his face in her pant leg. She looked back up at Tifa, "But I'm a bit worried about how he'll will behave without you here for the afternoon. He still doesn't get along with other kids very well, and I really think the only reason he doesn't act out is because he trusts you."

Squall squeezed himself closer to his mother and peered grumpily out the front door as Rinoa started trying to pull it open. Her nanny discretely pulled the handle and the little girl bound inside. "I opened the door all by myself! Hi, Squall!" she greeted, giving her prince a wave, "Do you like my wedding dress?" she twirled around in the large, white dress, "My mommy got it for me yesterday! And I got this necklace from a bubble machine!" she moved her Dopey plush to her other arm and fixed its hat when it fell over its bright blue eyes, then held a cheap plastic string of beads off of her neck so everyone could see.

Tifa blinked slowly, knowing that Rinoa knew that Aerith was getting married today, and also knowing that there would be repercussions when some kids got to come with Tifa to the wedding and Rinoa couldn't. Her nanny would be picking the miniature bride up at 12:30.

Nevertheless, Tifa peered across her desk and gave a "That's very nice," before turning back to Mrs. Loire while Rinoa tried (and failed) to get Squall to follow her into the playroom. It wasn't long before she gave up and ran off to play with the other kids, but everyone knew she would be back. The little princes seemed to have grown fond of the (formerly) silent Squall. "I had been worried about the same thing," Tifa continued, "But Aerith said that she wouldn't care at all if Squall came to the wedding with me if that's alright with you, Raine."

Squall's mother clapped her hands together happily, "Oh, good! But you let me know if he causes any trouble and I'll come get him as soon as possible, okay? It's at that old church Aerith loves, right?"

Tifa nodded and Raine knelt down to give Squall some kisses before hustling out the door to get to work. Her son waved and hollered a "Bye, Mommy!" before going to sit under Tifa's chair and sing Barney once more.

Rinoa poked her head out of the hallway a moment later, "Who's that?"

Selphie and Firion ran out into the foyer and started singing along happily, causing the original performer to crawl under Tifa's desk and curl up into a tiny Squall-ball.

Tifa picked up the phone only a moment after it began to ring. "You've reached First Fantasy Daycare! This is Tifa, how can I help you?"

"HEY, THERE, TIFA. HOW ARE YOU, TODAY?"

"Oh, hi Mrs. Harvey! I'm doing pretty well. Did you need something?" Tifa tucked the phone in her shoulder before pushing herself out of her chair and shooing the still-singing duo out of the entrance. She saw Squall run off into the playroom, probably to check on his action figures.

"IT'LL ONLY BE GOLBEYEZ WITH YOU TODAY. BAYBEE CECIL HAS A DOCTAH'S APPOINTMENT FUH HIS EAH INFECTIONS."

Tifa nodded, knowing every detail about how the boy caught a cold that quickly had migrated to both of his ears, the poor thing. He hadn't been in to First Fantasy for almost a week now. "I'm glad he's going to be feeling better soon. And his hearing is still okay?"

"WELL, THERE'S STILL A LOT OF FLUID IN HIS EAR CANAL, SO HE SAYS EVERYTHING SEOUNDS FUZZY. THAT'LL PROB'LY GO AWAY ONCE HE GETS HIS SHOT, THOUGH."

Suddenly, Tifa heard Cecil start crying loudly from the background, and his mother gasped, "OH, SHOOT! I DIDN'T MEAN TO SAY THAT SO LOUD!" Tifa heard her hustle into a different room and Cecil's wails became clearer.

"Y-you didn't tell me I was getting a shot, mommy!" he sobbed.

Tifa couldn't tell, but she was sure from the audio that Mrs. Harvey was cradling her younger son, "OH, I'M SORRY, HONEY. BUT YOU'LL FEEL MUCH, MUCH BETTUH AFTUH YOU GET SOME MEDICINE, AND THEN TELL YOU WHAT: I'LL TAKE YOU, YOUR BRUTHUH, AND LITTLE ROSA FROM NEXT DOAH TO GET ICE CREAM AFTUH, BUT ONLY IF YOU PROMISE NOT TO CRY AT THE DOCTUH'S OFFICE."

Cecil's sobs slowed to hiccups, "R-Ro-sa?"

"MM-HM."

There was a pause and then a loud kiss, "THERE'S MY GOOD BOY! NOW GO GET READY. WE HAVE TO DROP GOLBEYEZ OFF BEFOAH WE CAN GO TO THE DOCTUH."

Cecil sniffed loudly and Tifa heard light footsteps tapping away from the phone. "O-okay! Brotheeerrrr! Mommy said get ready to gooo!"

Mrs. Harvey turned her attention back to the phone, "SORRY ABOUT THAT, TIFA DEAH. WE'LL HEAD OUT IN A FEW MINUTES. AND I NEED TO HAVE GOLBEYEZ PICKED UP BEFOAH LUNCH?"

"It's okay. During lunch is just as well, but since you have an ice-cream date, you can pick him up anytime you need to," Tifa laughed.

Mrs. Harvey laughed jovially, "WELL, AWLRIGHT, THEN! I GOTTA GO. SEE YOU SOON, TIFA!"

"Bye!" Tifa hung the phone up and stood before tripping over a little someone sitting at her feet. She flung her arm out to catch her balance, but fell back into her chair, which rolled out from underneath her and dropped her onto the tile. She rubbed her head from where it had hit the chair plastic and looked down at her ankles to see Bartz curled up in a tornado position, probably hoping that Tifa wouldn't land on him. She shook her head as Aqua rushed into the room. The woman blinked in slight horror at the sight of Tifa obviously post-trip.

She rushed over and helped Tifa into a better sitting position, "Tifa, are you okay! What happened?"

Tifa scooched back and pressed a fist into her lower back, while her other hand went to rest on the right side of her pelvic bone. She also took note of a probably bruised tailbone. Of the whole fall, temporarily losing the inability to sit comfortably was the worst part. She cringed, noticing that the inverted baby was now wiggling around in discomfort after bumping against her pelvis, and assured, "It wasn't that big of a fall. I'm fine."

Aqua didn't look too sure, but she gave a half nod and picked Bartz up from his place crouched on the floor. The young boy blinked at Tifa as Aqua pulled to woman to her feet, "I'm sorry, Ms. Tifa. I saw Squall sitting under your chair and it looked fun. Did your baby get hurt?" His large brown eyes scrunched together in regret.

Tifa rubbed the top of his head, "It's okay! My baby's fine, Bartz. Just let me know before you come sit by my ankles, okay? I can't see past my tummy very well anymore."

Aqua set the boy down and he ran into the back, calling for Zidane. Squall came running back into the entrance a moment later with a toy held straight out in front of him. He pointed it up at Tifa and peeked over it angrily. What was wrong? The action figure looked no more beat up than normal. Tifa opened her mouth to ask what happened, but Squall started talking before she could get a word out.

"Somefink is wrong wif Buzz Lightyear's wings," he informed her. While his speech had improved, he didn't seem to notice his new inability to say 'th.'

Aqua took the action figure from Squall and told him that she would fix it. She led him to the playroom while she jammed a finger into the back of the toy.

"Fix my action finger!" he pleaded.

Tifa's stomach was growling furiously by circle time. She had Sora roll in the TV so that the kids could watch Bill Nye. Meanwhile, Tifa munched on the snack that she had packed herself: a pickle-queso-peanut-butter-and-jalapeno sandwich. Ventus, who happened to be sitting next to her, gave Tifa a funny look after smelling the strange concoction. Tifa noticed that her snacks had been getting steadily stranger and less healthy as she went on in her pregnancy. She had broken her promise to herself to eat healthy _again_! Whatever. She would get back to her active lifestyle after not having a watermelon attached to her front. She looked at Ventus and pointed at the sandwich. "Don't judge," she whispered.

Sora, who was sitting on Tifa's other side, grinned when he saw her snack. "Is that a pickle-queso-peanut-butter-and-potato-chip sandwich?" he asked. "I had one for lunch yesterday!"

Tifa shook her head. "Jalapeno, not potato chip," she corrected. THAT'S what her meals were reminding her of! A teenage boy's!

Circle time almost ended whenever Bartz (who was coming back from the bathroom) tripped over the TV cord and turned off EVERYTHING. There were whines from the viewing children, led by Quistis, who hadn't gotten quite enough of the science guy. Even though the video was almost over, Kairi and Ventus got the thing back plugged in and everyone got to watch Nye's wrap-up song for the volcanic lesson. After this was done, Aqua encouraged everyone go play. Most of the kids opted to remain indoors though, as it was starting to get pretty cold in the November month.

Tifa leaned back in her armchair and started rocking. Her baby was still going crazy from the fall! It must've been the jalapenos in addition to it that was making the kid act up currently. Tifa burped quietly into her fist and rubbed her chest just under the collarbone with a grimace. Maybe spicy food hadn't been the best idea. She was getting a bit of heartburn…

She sighed and started rubbing her stomach gently to try and get baby Strife to calm down. Meanwhile, she watched everyone at play. Roxas was there getting some volunteer hours that day, and the teen was outside trying to coax Zidane out of his tree. Riku had to stay home for a couple days because he caught a cold. Sora was busy chaperoning/playing with Beatrix, Light, Squall, and Bartz while attempting to coax Ventus over to play with them, who was busy keeping Snow and Seifer from coaxing Firion into cutting Terra's hair. Unfortunately, the little silver-haired boy had attacked his own hair again, and had a short lock of bangs sticking straight up in the air in addition to a couple of bald spots.

Tifa stared at the brothers and her eyes suddenly widened. Sora, Roxas, and Ventus were _quadruplets_. Oh, their poor mother! And the fourth brother… Va..ritan? Vatitus…? Vanitas! That's it! He seemed much more hostile than the others, and personalities are definitely present in the womb. For example, Tifa's little one typically liked to stay in one spot (even ignoring movement restriction due to current size). Right now their head was down and their back went along Tifa's left side, while their butt was up close to Tifa's ribcage, and their knees were all scrunched up. Even before the baby turned over, they preferred to stay in that one spot, and didn't usually kick all that much. With the exception of jalapenos and a big jostle… Tifa groaned and checked her watch. 11:13. She still had until 12:30 before she had to leave to get ready for the wedding. She pulled out her phone and noticed with a pang of guilt that Aerith had sent 7 messages. And Zack had sent 23. How many messages had the puppy sent Cloud? Tifa wiggled around uncomfortably and tried to get her baby off of her bladder, but failed and ended up rushing to the bathroom.

Cloud was riding to First Fantasy when it hit him like a ton of bricks.

Oh Gaia… _he was going to be a FATHER._

Cloud didn't even know how to be a father! His own had never been around!

The blonde's head spun, so he pulled over and removed his goggles before he crashed or something, noting a stress-related headache forming at the top of his skull. How do you do something that you have no experience with? Aerith was right in saying he didn't have the most sensitive parental instinct, too, and that meant he couldn't simply trust himself to do the right thing…right?

He pressed his gloved fingers into his eyes and shook his head. Tifa had read that babies can hear their parent's voices in the womb, but Cloud didn't talk all that much, so would the kid even recognize him? His mind flashed to an image of Tifa after just having the baby. Cloud was holding the little blanket-cocooned bundle, but it was just crying and crying and scared of him.

What if his own kid was scared of him?

He pulled out his phone and started to dial in Tifa's number, but hesitated and backtracked before starting on Zack's number, before backspacing again and calling Aerith.

The phone went to voicemail, but Aerith picked it up before the beep announced for Cloud to leave a message.

"Cloud?" she didn't bother hiding the slight surprise in her voice.

He pressed his forefinger and thumb into his temples. "Yeah…"

"What's wrong?"

Was that really the only times he called Aerith? When something was wrong? "Um… I think… I'm scared…"

There was a slight pause before a "Huh…? Ohhhhh, is it because of the baby?"

Cloud's ears flushed pink at being so transparent, and his face knotted into what those who knew him would recognize as a pout, "Yeah…"

The flower girl laughed, "There's no reason to be embarrassed! Come by the house, okay?" she pulled the phone from her ear and covered the receiver, "They're under the sock drawer!" the phone went back to its spot against Aerith's cheek, "I have to go. Zack…has no idea what he's doing," she laughed again, "See you in a bit!"

Cloud mumbled an affirmation before hanging up and sending Tifa a text that he would be a bit later than planned, which garnered an immediate response just to make sure he wasn't late to leave for the wedding. Huh. She was usually too busy to answer that quickly.

Tifa had been gone a while. While the kids weren't misbehaving, it was still best to have the daycare owner's whereabouts known. Aqua was passing by the adults' bathroom looking for Tifa when she heard stifled sobbing and slightly fuzzy song. The blue-haired helper paused and knocked on the door.

"O-occupied…" Tifa's voice sniffed.

"Tifa?" Aqua called quietly. "Are you okay?"

She heard Tifa swallow a cry and the slightly mechanical music stopped. "I-I… oh, don't worry about it."

Aqua remembered that Tifa had been going back and forth to the bathroom before she went missing and would go in and out with an annoyed expression. Oh! That must have been the baby's fault. A few days earlier, Tifa had complained that she always had to pee but would only go a few drops every ten minutes.

"Do you want to use a pad?" Aqua asked. "I think I have some in my purse…"

"Oh, could you?" Tifa squeaked.

"Yeah… but if you don't mind me asking, why are you crying?"

There was a long pause. "ROSE LOVES STEVEN SO MUCH!" Tifa sobbed.

Aqua sighed and shook her head, a smile appearing. "I'll be right back."

About a minute later, Aqua slid a pad under the door to Tifa's feet.

Freedom!

From somewhere in the building, Terra and another girl let out a shriek.

And none too soon.

Cloud arrived at Zack and Aerith's house and was warmly greeted, as usual. What was unusual was the setup in the living room. Aerith had connected the laptop to the TV and pulled up a YouTube video that, according to the title, was in the genre of helping fathers-to-be feel connected to their unborn offspring. Cloud looked at Zack with wide eyes, silently pleading him to not let Aerith make him watch the most likely awful and cheesy video. Judging just from the frozen title screen filling the TV, it was a clip cut from a documentary made at least 15 years ago. Zack avoided Cloud's gaze, but the blonde could see him trying his best not to snicker; and so Cloud was left groaning while a giggling (laughing) Aerith pulled him over to the couch to sit down. She clicked play and both she and Zack disappeared to continue making sure everything was in order for the wedding later. The plan was to have the wedding party arrive at the church between 12:30 and 1:30, where they would get dressed and ready for the ceremony at 5:30.

Meanwhile, it was 11:58 and Cloud was stuck watching a video on how to bond with babies. Thankfully, he would have to leave before the video ended so he could meet his own wife at the daycare. He leaned against his palm and watched with blank eyes as a series of men playing with children took turns filling the screen. Predictably, the kids got progressively younger until a man was pictured lovingly rubbing the belly and gazing into the eyes of his largely pregnant wife. Cloud yawned and cursed Aerith.

Once Tifa had disentangled Terra and Freya after they had somehow gotten Terra's hair tangled in Freya's many-buttoned dress, the two girls took each others hands and ran along to continue whatever game they had been playing.

Tifa checked her phone for the time. It was almost time for parents to start picking up their kids. Squall, Zell, Bartz, and Terra would be staying with Tifa. Just as she checked her phone, the front door opened and Mrs. Harvey's voice rang through the daycare. "GOLBEYEZ! WHE-YUH ARE YOU?"

Golbez ran to the front, excited for his ice cream date. His mother and Cecil (who had two bandaids on his arm; a crisscrossed Transformers and Hello Kitty) waited in the lobby. Tifa went over to her computer to sign Golbez out.

Cecil was poking his mother's leg shyly. "Now we can pick up Rosa?" he asked quietly.

"NOT YET, SWEETIEPIE," she told him.

"Where are we getting ice cream?" Golbez asked happily. "Can we go to the place where they have the Batman ice cream?"

"I wanna go to the frozen yogurt place," Cecil whined. "They have fewer arteries."

One of Tifa's eyebrows went skyward. There's a mixed-up word if she's ever heard one! "Do you mean calories?" she giggled.

Cecil grinned and wiped his runny nose with the back of his hand. "Oh, yeah! Cat-ter-ies."

Tifa smiled to herself as they left.

Most of the parents showed up around 12:15. Nothing out of the ordinary happened as kids left. A few were going to be staying with the helpers at the daycare. The only reason that Tifa had the group of four with her was because if she wasn't in charge of them, something bad would happen. Terra would get picked on, Zell would scream if Tifa or his mom weren't around, Squall would get picked on and fight back, and Bartz… well, there's no telling what he'd do.

After reminding the four that they'd be coming with her, so they had to be on their best behavior, she called Cloud to make sure he had their clothes with him.

A bit out of character, he answered his phone before a single dial tone could end. That wasn't even enough time to fish it out of a pocket!

"Tifa?" he started. Tifa raised an eyebrow. His voice sounded strangely bored and stressed at the same time.

"What's wrong, Cloud?"

Suddenly a fuzzy, yet obviously agonized, woman's scream came through the phone, though it wasn't loud enough to be from someone in the room. Cloud made a strangled noise before the phone was jostled and Tifa heard footsteps. There was the obvious sound of a door opening and slamming shut before outside noises reached the receiver. He sighed, "I'm on my way over."

"What happened? Do you have our clothes?"

"They're folded in one of the bike's saddlebags. I gotta go. See you in a bit."

"Okaaaay? Bye, Cloud."

"Hm." His phone clicked shut and the line dropped.

Meanwhile, Zack came into the living room after hearing the front door slam and let out a yelp when he saw a woman giving birth on the TV. He bolted from the area as the woman let out another pained scream. He shook his head to try and rid himself of the image. "Aeriiiith, can you turn the TV off…?"

"I'm busy, Zack!" She called back from deeper within the house. He groaned and covered the TV with a hand before going back to stop the screaming.

Tifa glanced out the front window when she heard Cloud's bike pull into the parking lot and turn off, then called Squall, Zell, Bartz, and Terra. Several other kids ran into the room to bid Tifa and their friends farewell. Rinoa ran up and jumped into place next to Squall before grabbing his hand, "Ok, Miss Tifa, I'm ready to go!" she chirped happily.

Oh boy, here we go. Tifa helped Squall free his hand from Rinoa's grip (much to Rinoa's displeasure) and looked apologetically at the girl, "I'm sorry Rinoa, but you're going to be going home with your nanny soon."

The little girl gasped in dismay, "What? How come?!"

Zell went and hugged Tifa around a knee while she explained, "I already said why. Your nanny is going to come and take you home soon."

"But Terra gets to go! I can ask- I can ask if my nanny can come with us and help watch all of us! She has to do what I say!" the girl cried in a near-panic.

Tifa pursed her lips and she glanced over at Cloud as he walked through the door carrying several plastic-wrapped outfits. He glanced back at her and his brows scrunched so slightly that Tifa was probably the only one to notice. She raised an eyebrow slightly before ignoring it and going over to her computer to scroll through her emails for anything that might be an explanation that Rinoa would accept. If the girl came to the wedding, Tifa had the feeling that she would end up being very loud and/or try to take the spotlight. After a couple minutes of searching (Rinoa getting more impatient and near tears with each passing second) Tifa finally found one that would work, "Ah, don't you have Toddlers &amp; Tiaras to go to?" Tifa blinked and did a double take. Yes. The email said that Rinoa was due to be on the set of Toddlers &amp; Tiaras at 1:30 today. That explained so much!

Rinoa slumped in annoyance, "Oh, yeah… I don't even want to go today! _Donna_'s going to be with the rest of us and she always cheats! All she wears is swimsuits, and mommy says that they're too im- uh… im-ah-dest for a kid!"

At that time, the front door opened and Rinoa's nanny came in, "Rinoa, come on. It's time to go. And please try not to fight with Donna today."

Rinoa scowled and folded her arms before following her nanny out the door, "She got what was coming to her," she muttered angrily.

"Yes, yes," the nanny waved her hand dismissively before turning her attention back to Rinoa, "but that doesn't mean you can tell your puppy to bite others."

Whenever Tifa, Cloud, and the four kids arrived at the church, they didn't see Zack or Aerith. They did, however, see Rude just outside the entryway. It was strange to see him without Reno, but neither Cloud nor Tifa was upset by the red-head's absence. Cloud greeted Rude and then told Tifa that he was going to get changed and help Zack finish getting ready. Ever since he showed up at the daycare to pick up Tifa and the kids he seemed really… afraid. Afraid of what? He wasn't getting married.

Tifa had to help Aerith get ready, but she couldn't have the kids with her while she helped. At least the boys couldn't be with her, for fear of rambunctiousness. Tifa smiled at Rude sheepishly. "I'm really sorry to ask you this, but can you watch the kids while I go help Aerith?"

Rude glanced down at the kids, then back at Tifa. He nodded and Bartz jumped onto his leg immediately. Terra looked up at Tifa. "Can I help you with Miss Aerith?" she asked quietly.

Tifa smiled. "Of course, sweetie," she told her.

Zell scowled and Squall pouted. "I wanna go, too!" Zell whined.

"I'm sorry, sweetie, you can't come."

"But why not?"

Tifa knelt down to his size. "Because boys can't see the bride before she comes down the aisle. It's bad luck. And you love Miss Aerith, right?"

"Yeeeesss…" Zell muttered, twisting around absent-mindedly.

"And you don't want her to have bad luck, do you?"

"Noooo…"

"Okay, then. Can you behave for Mr. Rude? If you don't, Aerith is gonna have bad luck forever."

Zell grinned, excited for his new mission. "Yes, mama!"

Squall still wasn't very happy with this arrangement, but he didn't voice it. He had become quiet when he met Rude.

Tifa stood back up. "Thank you so much, Rude!" she called. She took Terra's hand and led her into the church.

Aerith was in a small room next to the sanctuary. Yuffie, Mrs. Gainsborough, and a few other girls were helping Aerith with her hair and make-up. The bride's long, white, lacy dress was hung on a wall. Aerith turned around from the mirror when she saw Tifa's reflection in it. "Oh, good! You made it!"

Tifa smirked. "Like I would miss getting to dress you up."

Aerith laughed before cocking her head. "Um, is Cloud acting okay?"

Tifa frowned. "I guess he's acting a bit awkward—well, more than usual," she replied. "Why?"

Aerith turned back to the mirror. "Um, well, I showed him a video and it went in a direction that I didn't know that it would go into," she said.

Yuffie looked up from the foundation that she was blending. "And what direction was that?" she snorted.

"What was the video?" Elmyra asked curiously.

Aerith had a sheepish expression. "Look, it's really not that important…"

"But now we're curious," Tifa said.

Aerith bit her lip. "He was concerned that the baby wasn't going to like him, or something like that," she explained. "So I had him watch a video about how to bond with kids… but then there was a clip of a woman having a baby-"

Tifa cringed and held up a hand. "Say no more."

It didn't take long for Aerith and all of the bridesmaids to finish getting ready. Terra sat in a chair and watched as the women fluttered around and prepared the bride-to-be while one maid at any given time went to go change. Yuffie took care of the flower girl's make-up along with one of Aerith's other bridesmaids, while Tifa and a second friend worked on her long hair. Elmyra was busy putting together Aerith's bouquet. She had tied some twine around some of the lilies from her daughter's garden and arranged them nicely before adding some tiny baby pink flowers to the outside. Finally, she tied a ribbon—Aerith's pink ribbon from Zack—around the flowers to hide the twine. Aerith didn't want to walk down the aisle without her signature accessory, but her mother wouldn't let her wear it in her hair. After putting the worn fabric on the bouquet in a nice bow, she set the arrangement down on the dresser next to Aerith before going to make sure Terra's basket was properly filled with a sunset of rose petals.

When the older woman drew close, Terra raised her hand shyly, "Um. Excuse me, Mrs. Gainsborough?"

Elmyra smiled at the emerald head next to her, "Yes?"

Terra glanced over at Aerith, "Um. Can I go see Miss Aerith?" she folded her hands in her lap anxiously.

Elmyra glanced over at Aerith to see how much longer it would be until her daughter actually donned her dress, then turned back to Terra. "Well, she's about to put her dress on, so lets give her some privacy. You can go talk to her afterwards, okay? I'm sorry we've been so busy. Do you want to put your dress on while we wait?"

Terra's face lit up, "Yes, please!" she hopped out of her chair and carefully removed her fluffy, knee-length flower girl dress from its hanger before bouncing after Elmyra. Yuffie waved as the pair left, then went with Tifa to get Aerith's dress off of its hanger. Aerith looked at it and a giant smile lit her features.

She stood up from the chair she had been sitting in and sighed heavily, that smile still in place. "Wow, this is really happening, isn't it?" she muttered excitedly. "It still seems so… weird, though."

Yuffie took the dress out of the plastic wrapper. "Yup," she said. She began undoing the buttons on the back. "Y'know, all day your mom's been telling me that I'm next. She doesn't get that I'm an independent young woman, does she?"

Tifa smiled, deciding not to add anything.

Pretty soon, Aerith had donned her long, flowing frock. Peeking through the Ancient's thick, tamed, and styled curls was a deep V ending at the small of her back, and lacy, beaded cap sleeves hung nicely on her shoulders. Tifa didn't say anything, but she was jealous of the backless dress. While Aerith's was very flattering, Tifa felt upset that functional backless bras didn't exist for girls that were Tifa's size. That smidge of envy couldn't dampen her mood during her best friend's wedding, though!

"You look so pretty!" Tifa squealed. The other bridesmaids were oohing and ahhing at the bride as well. Even Yuffie, the forever tomboy, commented on how nice the dress looked!

One of the bridesmaids that Tifa didn't know well checked her phone for the time. "Aerith, the wedding is gonna start in about an hour and a half."

Aerith giggled before looking at herself in the mirror and smoothing her skirt.

A little abruptly, a crying toddler came running up to the door and began patting it intently. Tifa sighed, recognizing that cry immediately. Squall…

Well, he had behaved for a couple hours by this point, and the last time they saw each other was when she went to change into her bridesmaid's dress. She turned to Aerith with a sad pout. "Aerith? Would it be okay if I took care of the boys? Do you need my help for anything else?"

Aerith hopped over (careful not to mess up her hair) and hugged Tifa tight from the side to avoid baby strife. "I'm fine! You go take care of your babies," she said with a laugh, "Just make sure they don't get your dress dirty!"

Tifa hugged Aerith back, "Thank you! And thank you, by the way, for not getting hideous bridesmaid's dresses like they do in the movies. Though now I realize I should have made my dress flush against my whole stomach instead of just having it rest on the top half…" she pushed the knee-length hanging fabric so that it rested against her thighs, but it fell back into place as soon as she released it.

Aerith smiled sympathetically, "It's a good thing you thought to wear shorts underneath, then."

Outside, Squall started crying louder and ran away down the hallway when jogging footsteps came close. Reno groaned before pursuing the little human once more, "Come _on,_ kid! I don't have time for this!"

Tifa was about to call Terra until Aerith said the flower girl could stay in the room with the other women. She nodded, told the girl to be on her best behavior (not that it was really necessary), and hurried out the door only to awkwardly step over Zell. He had been crouched in front of Aerith's dressing room.

As soon as he saw Tifa, Zell jumped to his feet and hugged one of her thighs. "Mamaaa!"

Tifa, now immensely more glad to have thought to wear shorts, got Zell's head out from under her protruding skirt and picked the boy up before waddling after Squall's continuing cries. Bartz must have still been with Rude. When Tifa was near the source of the crying, Squall's pitch rose to a scream. Tifa hurried around the corner to see that Cloud had caught the writhing child and was struggling to keep him from falling.

Reno sat down against the crumbly stone wall and groaned. "Ho-ly SHIT!"

"Reno!"

He and Cloud looked over and Cloud immediately approached to hand the screaming child over to Tifa, who awkwardly worked him onto her other baby-obscured hip while Cloud apologized and offered to take Zell. Zell did not appreciate this and clung to Tifa's chest, awkwardly grabbing a _highly_ sensitive breast. Tifa gasped, "Owowowow…! Zell, move your hand!"

He pulled himself up using her shoulder before cuddling against her, "Sorry, Mama."

Tifa hefted the children and glanced at Cloud. He nodded and supported her arms (and subsequently her aching back) before going to find a spot for everyone to sit down at and wait for a sporadically sobbing Squall to stop crying.

Reno trotted a few steps to catch up to the slow-moving couple before looking over at the crying boy and opening his mouth, "So what's up with him?"

"Separation anxiety," Tifa sighed, "It took him months to warm up to anyone other than his mother." She grunted and fixed the boy so he didn't slip out of her and Cloud's hold. "So Bartz is with Rude, then?"

"The older kid? Nah, he's with…" he looked around the hallway, "…Oh, perfect. We must have gotten separated when Squall ran off." The Turk groaned and rubbed his face.

Tifa gave Reno a barely vicious warning look. "Go find my kid." Her eyebrows perked up, "Now."

Reno's eyes widened at Tifa's look before he trotted down the hallway calling for the wayward wanderer.

When it was time for the wedding to finally start, the wedding party split themselves accordingly and got ready to lead the way down. After everyone had made their way up to the alter (Reno was MIA until Bartz reappeared, so Rude and Barret had to walk next to each other to keep the line even. Barret kept Troy, who was his original pairing, between them so create some distance and Rude didn't seem to mind), the crowd stood and turned towards the back of the church, where Aerith was standing with Elmyra. Tifa carefully wiped her leaking eyes and looked down when she felt a tug at her skirt. Squall lifted his arms, "Up."

Tifa shook her head and put Squall's hands back down at his sides before straightening back up as a slow wedding march started from a radio situated in the front of the church.

Squall tugged on Tifa's skirt again despite Zell trying to push the brunette's hands away from her. "Up." He demanded again, more insistent this time. When Tifa denied him again, he started crying and Tifa was forced to pick the boy up, which upset Zell of course.

"I want up, too!" the boy complained.

Yuffie knocked Zell in the shoulder and gave a quiet, stern "Sh."

Zell's face puckered in a pout and he pressed himself against Tifa's leg. Meanwhile from his new vantage point, Squall looked around at the bridesmaids and across the aisle at Zack and his groomsmen before looking down the aisle to watch Aerith come forward, arm-in-arm with her mother. He looked at Tifa and pointed down the aisle, "Why is Miss Aerith dressed like an angel?"

Tifa covered her mouth and forced herself not to cry. She _was_ dressed like an angel! Curse these pregnancy-enhanced emotions! Luckily Aerith didn't react at all if she even noticed, and finished walking up the aisle and stood across from Zack after giving Elmyra a tight hug, a huge smile lighting her features the whole time.

Once Aerith was to the altar the music shut off and the parson began talking. So that she would forget her tears, Tifa tried to picture the man, slightly hunched with age, with a speech impediment. _Maiw-wage_, she thought. _Maiw-wage is what bwings us togethah today. Maiw-wage, that sacwed…_

There was a scream from the ceiling and Tifa could hear Reno's hissing voice from the rafters. She could feel the color leave her face as she heard a young boy wail from the dusty ceiling. Oh, god, Bartz! How did he get up there?! Was it okay for her to leave her post at the altar? Besides, she had Zell shackled to one leg and a Squall persistently holding onto her neck. Not to mention she was crying again. While she knew that this was out of her power, she couldn't help but feel responsible for the bawling child. How did he even get up there?!

Troy sat up and fixed his gaze on the source of the noise as people in the pews started gasping or yelping in shock. A small, deep woof escaped the dog's mouth, but it wasn't loud enough to disrupt the ceremony any more than it already was. Barret yanked on his leash and looked at the parson. Luckily, the parson ignored the yelling Bartz and whispering Reno and continued on with the ceremony. Tifa watched in horror as she saw Reno's shadow-obscured figure attempting to climb closer to the boy and beckon him to safety. In a matter of minutes, Reno had snatched up the wandering Bartz (who was clinging to a beam for dear life and shaking like a leaf) and pulled him back to a more structurally sound area.

Not too much later, the parson was about to ask Aerith and Zack for their vows and Reno had settled into the back pew with Bartz at his side. Tifa had breathed an inward sigh of relief when she saw them slip inside, and focused completely on the rest of the ceremony.

As the couple exchanged vows, Terra began quietly sniffling and wiping tears from her eyes. Though she tried to keep her sobs quiet, they steadily began getting breathier and louder. Tifa reached down and patted Terra on the back before readjusting Squall. That quieted her sobs for a moment, allowing for a more dramatic exchanging of rings. Finally, the parson declared, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

At that time, Terra lost it, Squall buried his face in Tifa's shoulder, and Zell cracked up. Tifa, through her now powerful tears, looked down at Zell in confusion. The little blonde was doubled over as the wedding party began making their way out to the reception area. As she hiccupped a cry away, Tifa nudged Zell to let him know that they had to leave. He cackled, trailing behind her.

Tifa wearily sat down in the reception area and pulled Zell and Squall onto her knees so they would behave. She had been on her feet all _day_. Between helping Aerith get ready, standing during the ceremony, and taking wedding photos after Zack and Aerith were happily married, Tifa had been standing with little rest for _hours_. She rubbed her belly with a quiet sigh, trying to get the squirming life in there to take a break from their incessant moving. Cloud came back from taking Bartz and Terra (who was still sniffling) to the bathroom and sat next to his wife.

He tilted his head slightly and his brow furrowed, "You ok, Tifa?"

She played with Squall's fluffy hair and nodded, "Just tired," she laughed, "It's been a really long day."

Bartz squealed and ran over to Barret when the large man appeared with Troy in tow. Barret laughed and hoisted the boy onto his shoulder like he used to do with Marlene when she was Bartz' age. Unfortunately, the boy yelped in panic at being lifted to high and ended up throwing a knobby knee into Barret's chin before clinging to a large arm for dear life.

Suddenly, the overhead speakers burst into static and song as "Never Gonna Give You Up" started playing. Aerith and Zack opened the doors and entered, singing along jovially. After they had taken their seats with their parents and had gotten through all the formalities, Cloud and Tifa said their Best Man and Maid of Honor's speeches to commemorate the couple.

After the reception had gone into full swing and everyone was busy eating and talking, Zack's mother pulled her son (and new daughter) over and asked when she could expect some grandkids, much to the newlywed's embarrassment. Elmyra chuckled from her spot a few paces away. Tifa chuckled and looked at a smirking Cloud while Zack let out an exasperated "Mooooom…".

Squall peered around the room from his spot at Tifa's knee. He had stuck to her like glue ever since the ceremony ended, asking myriad questions about the wedding around them. He had even followed his guardian into the bathroom after vehemently refusing Cloud's offer to watch him. He patted Tifa's thigh, "I'm hungry. Can I have a hot dog?"

Tifa nodded down at the small boy and took his hand before leading him over to the table. Zack had been the one to suggest the grilled mystery pork cutlets. "Well of course! We might want to hurry though, there was a bit of a rush for the hot dogs earlier." Tifa glanced over at Zell, who was sitting between Cloud and Terra and working his way through no less than 3 of the things (with no toppings) and a scoop of macaroni.

Within the next couple of hours, Tifa and Cloud were gathering their things to get ready to go back to First Fantasy so Squall, Zell, Bartz, and Terra's parents could pick them up at 10. The kids had started dozing off about a half hour ago, and the only one with some energy left was Terra. Bartz had fallen asleep first and flat on his back in the play area (a blanket with some books and toys set in a quieter corner of the venue), which had provided Zell a perfect pillow in the form of Bartz' stomach. Squall had stayed awake as long as possible, but was fading in and out of consciousness. He leaned heavily into Tifa to keep from falling over and never let go of her hand. Terra was tired as well, but she had slept longer than the others earlier in the day.

Tifa waved Aerith over when they were about ready to leave. The flower girl approached with hugs aplenty, "Thank you so much, Tifa! I know I've said this a hundred times already, but things would not have gone so great as they did without you and everyone helping to put it together!"

A black blur flew past and Cloud made a muffled noise somewhere between an "oof" and groan. Tifa and Aerith looked over to see that a moderately drunk Zack had glomped the significantly smaller blond and was smothering him in a hug. Cloud staggered backward, arms spread, to keep Zack from knocking the both of them over until the Zack released his grip and gave a casual salute, "Thanks for coming, you two! See you next time!"

Aerith snorted and knocked Zack on the chin, "Next time? Are you implying that you will have a second wedding?"

Zack laughed in his very Zack-ish way and took a large step over to give Aerith a bear hug of her own, "Oh, hell no. That would be WAY too much work! I'll just stick with who I have, thanks." He nuzzled his face into her cheek and hair before giving her a very loud kiss, resulting in a bell-like laugh from Mrs. Fair.

After rousing the children from the car ride back to First Fantasy, Tifa and Cloud lead the sleepy string of kids inside the building, where they were greeted with 4 of the naptime mats laid out with several blankets and pillows lain neatly on top. Tifa smiled; Aqua must have set them out after the daycare closed for the day. However, only two of the mats were to be used. Terra's father and Squall's mother came in from where they had been waiting in the parking lot. Both children ran happily over to their parents and were quickly lifted into cradling arms before everyone bid their farewells and went home for the night. Bartz' father and Zell's parents arrived within 20 minutes of everyone else reaching First Fantasy, and Tifa and Cloud locked up after seeing both of the boys passed to their parents for the night.

"Bye!" Tifa called for the last time as the cars holding Bartz and Zell pulled out of the parking lot, "You have a good night!"

She smiled when the waving forms of the boys was accompanied by a muffled "Bye, Mama!" from Mrs. Dincht's car.

Cloud put an arm around Tifa's shoulders and kissed her temple while she heaved a massive yawn and patted his hand.

On their way home, Tifa kicked off her shoes and blinked in surprise when her ankles brushed together, "My feet feel _huge_…"

Cloud glanced over at her before returning his gaze to the road, "Want me to run a bath when we get home?"

"No…"

"Okay."

The car ride continued in silence for a few minutes before Cloud glanced over to find his wife fast asleep and leaning awkwardly against the car door. He pulled her arm so that she was sitting straight and tried not to wake her before getting home.

* * *

Hey, glorious readers! If you enjoyed this installment be sure to leave comments! Thank you for your patience and your meaningful existence. I love all of you! 333


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